Major Peter Henson Bancroft

The present and following lots are from a series of portraits Roberts painted of the Bancroft family, to which he was related through the marriage of his cousin, Matilda Isles, to his friend Henson Bancroft. The present sitter Major Peter Henson Bancroft (1877-1968) was the second son of Henson and Matilda Bancroft. Born in Kew, Melbourne, he was educated in England and after a brief period working at his grandfather’s firm Bancroft & Co., held a commission in the 4th East Surrey Regiment. He served in the First World War, and was promoted to Major in 1917.

For other portraits of the Bancroft family see Christie’s, Melbourne, 10 April 2006, lots 90-96.