LOW, 'TEAM WORK BY LORD BEAVERBROOK', INK AND PENCIL, 1940

356 by 470mm., pen and ink with pencil, signed and inscribed with title, mounted, framed and glazed, some light browning

Evening Standard, 2 December 1940

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In May 1940, Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook (1879-1964) was appointed to the head of the newly created Ministry of Aircraft Production by the Prime Minister and his close personal friend, Winston Churchill, and was charged with turning around a British aircraft industry struggling badly in the face of a vast Luftwaffe (and the impending Battle of Britain). Beaverbrook rapidly oversaw a huge increase in aircraft production, dwarfing the German output from the same period. The enormous success of the Ministry of Aircraft Production was achieved largely through Beaverbrook’s insistence to prioritise aircraft over all other forms of production. Low’s cartoon portrays Beaverbrook as a pirate, his ministry men as thugs and cronies, on the verge of plundering the Ministries of Supply, Labour and Shipping. This portrayal, along with a swag bag labelled ‘Lord B’s Private War’, hint at suspicions over the extent of Beaverbrook’s personal gains whilst overseeing such a vast increase in output. Regardless of his motivations, he certainly energised the country’s aircraft production at a crucial period of the war and was credited with played a significant role in victory in the Battle of Britain. Low appears much more sympathetic to Beaverbrook in his depiction of him in the cartoon, ‘See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have and Tell Them We’ll Have the Same’ (see lot 90), published a little over three months later, shortly before Beaverbrook resigned from the Ministry.