Tipperary

The title of the picture suggests she is playing It’s a Long Way to Tipperary, the music-hall song and popular First World War marching anthem. 

The painting, made in late 1914, is highly unusual for its depiction of a war theme so early on in the course of the conflict.  

Sickert was born to a Danish father and Anglo-Irish mother in Munich in 1860. He trained at the Slade School of Art in London and, by the date of this painting, was well known for his Post-Impressionist scenes of gritty urban life. He painted several versions of Tipperary featuring his regular model, known as Chicken, at the piano, but this is the only one to include a soldier.  

With its sunlit uniformed figure and suggestion of jaunty music, the canvas evokes a sense of optimism, one which Sickert himself was keen to promote. His German origins prompted suspicion by the authorities, and he was anxious to prove his British patriotism.  

The Imperial War Museum currently holds very few paintings from 1914, and only a single work – an etching – by Sickert. In addition to strengthening the collection in these areas, the picture raises important questions about gender relations and cultural attitudes in the early months of the First World War. 

This work was acquired with assistance from the Wolfson Foundation.