Maltese Women

Cole trained in Swindon, and later at the Royal College of Art. There, he gained a diploma in mural decoration, fabric printing and lithography. In 1937 he became a teacher at the Hull College of Art, and from 1940 travelled widely during the Second World War as one of the Government's Official War Artists. It was during his posting to Malta that this painting was produced. The Maltese people had won the admiration of many for their courage in resisting a German siege. In honour of the contribution ordinary people had made, Cole concentrated mainly on civilian subjects as depicted in Maltese Women, which shows two women with a new-born baby, sheltering in their underground home.