John Copley later married the painter Ethel Gabain and became the father of actor Peter Copley (Help! with The Beatles, King & Country, Oliver Twist). John studied art at the Manchester School of Art and the Royal Academy in London. He spent 10 years in Italy before eventually returning to London. At the time of the Art Competition in 1948 John Copley was 73 years of age, making him the oldest ever Olympic medal winner. He was a highly competent painter in watercolor, though his work in this medium is relatively rare. However, Copley is mainly regarded as an important British representative of lithography in the 20th century. From the 1920s he turned to etching. In 1948 he was elected President of the Royal Society of British Artists. His birth name was Herbert Crawford Williamson, later adopting his stage name John Copley.
The etching Polo, which earned him the silver medal, was created in 1939 and printed on Oriental Paper. The size is 27.8 x 33.7 cm. Polo Players, also known as Hurlingham, is reproduced in the art exhibition catalog and listed as a color print. The artist also created this drypoint etching in 1939 in the same size but in portrait format. Copley donated copies of both works to the British Museum in 1947.
Great Britain