The Landlord, 1935
This is one of Elwell's most distinctive and best known portraits, and one around which many myths have evolved! Despite popular assumptions that the painting was set in Beverley, Elwell himself stated in an interview that it was at the Buck Inn, Driffield. âThe Landlordâ of the title is shown in a confident and self-assured pose. Elwell has relished painting the contrasting surfaces around him, from the wooden keg and glass bottles to the gleaming copper flagon, putting to good use his considerable skills as a still life artist. Elwell's model for this portrait was John Booth, who was actually a butler, working both at Tranby Croft, near Hull, and for the Duchess of Westminster. His mannered air contributes in part to the success of 'The Landlord'. Ironically, having posed for this painting, he was later to become a publican at the Molescroft Inn, near Beverley.
