Stanley Spencer was made an Official War Artist during World War II and in 1940 he was commissioned by the War Artists' Advisory Committee to paint scenes of shipbuilding at Lithgow's yard, Port Glasgow. It was there that he also began working on his Port Glasgow Resurrection series, his last use of the Resurrection theme that is so closely associated with his name. Whilst at Port Glasgow Spencer was given the naval rank of seaman and he lodged accordingly at Glencairn, a boarding house run by Mrs J B Buchanan who is depicted in this drawing.