Colonel BADEN POWELL

Woven on Silk:- ribbon with words:- FOR THE FLAG   Printed at top of card:- EMPIRE MAKERS.   Printed at bottom of card:- WOVEN IN PURE SILK COLONEL BADEN POWELL, THE HEROIC DEFENDER OF MAFEKING.   REGD. NO. 355195

Card-mount:
cm deep by cm wide

silk:
cm high by cm wide

by Geoffrey Godden:
A summary of Baden-Powell's career is given on so 72 where the Stevens portrait silk of this Boer War hero is reviewed.

The Grant version first appears under the title 'Empire Makers', a series which also includes Field-Marshal Lord Roberts, General Sir Redvers Buller, and Lord Kitchener of Khartoum - all issued in about 1900.

There is no credit to Grant on the front of the card-mount or on the special 'Soldiers of the Queen' printed back-label which is normally found with these Boer War portrait silks.

The Grant silk was registered as number 355195 at the Patent Office on 24 March 1900 - slightly before the Stevens version was registered.

The early examples have on the card-mount the printed title 'Colonel Baden Powell' (above). However, he was promoted to Major-General in May 1900, and the later mounts (go 68) bear the amended rank 'Major-General Baden Powell'. Later runs of the post-May 1900 silks have the name of the fancy art type (go 76), not in the early plain type, and the general title 'Empire Makers' is not printed on the card-mount. I have seen examples of these later silks with the wording 'Made in Switzerland' stamped on the back of the card-mount.

Other comments:
This silk is the Grant number 112.

The 'EMPIRE MAKERS' silks comprise:

Field Marshal Lord Roberts, V.C. [go260]

General Sir Redvers Buller, V.C. [go116]

Lord Kitchener of Khartoum. [go240]

Baden-Powell [image above]

rear printed label for this Grant silk portrait.