Reverse glass painting memorial to Cunard Liner Lusitania

The RMS Lusitania was a luxury British passenger liner built by the Cunard Line and launched in 1906. On 7 May 1915, while sailing from New York to Liverpool, the Lusitania was hit by a torpedo from the German submarine U-20, followed by a second, more powerful explosion, sinking in 18 minutes. Of the 1959 people on board, 1197 died, including 123 Americans. This was one of several events which contributed to the sentiment that led to the U.S. entering the war in 1917. Interestingly, the number of lives lost according to this contemporary glass memorial was 1441.

As with the other reverse glass painting of the hospital ship S.S. Braemar Castle, the details written were designed to promote public outrage and patriotic fervour. In this case, the number of casualties recorded from the loss of the Lusitania was overstated and Germany had warned of potential attacks in British waters and the warnings were ignored. The S.S. Braemar Castle was allegedly 'sunk by the Germans without warning', when it fact it didn't sink and struck a mine rather than being actively targeted. Two examples of wartime propaganda.

Reverse glass painting consists of several layers of paint applied to one side of the glass while the painting is viewed from the other side. In creating such a painting, the sequence of paint application is reversed. The foreground and highlights are painted first and then the layers are built up, with the background applied last. With these paintings, the glass fulfils several functions: a painting substrate, a protective layer of plain glass and a coating which performs an aesthetic function by making the colours more saturated.
Sometimes, transfers or decals are also applied to the glass. The printing and black outlines on this example may be a transfer, with the paint used to add colour.