English born and working primarily in England, Emily Warren did significant work in Canada. She had a reputation for her skill in painting architectural subjects including in 1917, during World War I, for the interior of Westminster Abbey in London.

While working on this project, she noticed that Canadian Colours had been placed profusely on the monument of General Wolfe. She proposed doing historic canvases in Canada, a commission she received from the Canadian War Office with the stipulation that all 77 commanders and 52 Colours had to be included. However, unknown to her was that the Directors of the Office had no intention of paying her money.

She invested over five-thousand dollars in canvasses, and, w...