H. Septimus Power

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H. Septimus Power (December 31, 1877 – 3 January 1951) was an Australian Official War Artist during the First World War and was renowned for his depiction of animals, in particular horses, on the field of battle.

Born Harold Septimus Power in Dunedin, New Zealand, he migrated to Australia with his family whilst young and in his early teen years left the family home to pursue a life as an artist.

After varied occupations, Power moved to Adelaide where he painted with Hans Heysen and undertook work as a political cartoonist before leaving for Europe to pursue artistic studies there.

After war broke out in the summer of 1914, the Australian government appointed official war artists to depict the activities of the Australian Imperial Force in the European theater of war. Power was appointed in 1917 and was attached to the 1st Division, A.I.F. from September to December of that year and then again in August the following year. After that period, Power was contracted to the Australian War Records Section for the next two decades.