Medal Day at St Andrews, 1894: The Captain Driving In by Alexander H. Wardlow
Commissioned by the print firm Dickinson & Foster, the Captain is the Rt Hon. Arthur J. Balfour, who would be Prime Minister from 1902-1906, Foreign Secretary from 1916-1919 and 1st Earl of Balfour. He was a keen golfer, who helped popularise the game in the 1890s.
Wardlow advertised himself as a miniaturist and certainly got plenty of practice with this painting. He came to St Andrews on several occasions to sketch portraits of the 191 individuals included in the painting. Contemporary photographs of Balfour driving in show a far smaller crowd than is represented in the painting. The painting is a fascinating record of many leading amateur and professional players of the time.
Dickinson & Foster commissioned the work with the intention of making money from the sale of colour prints. They offered to sell the painting to the Club in 1896. It was hung in the Clubhouse in August 1897.