Augustus John and William Orpen were constant companions while attending the Slade School of Art in London in the late 1890s, but their paths separated in later years as Orpen achieved fame in the 1920s for his highly sought after society portraits (an example is shown nearby). John’s satirical depiction of the fashionably dressed Orpen floating high above a tea table seated with dour, blackclad figures dates to their years at the Slade and suggests the “light play,” as John described it, that characterized the friends’ behavior during their bohemian student days. Gallery label for A Decade of Gifts and Acquisitions (Yale Center for British Art, 2017-06-01 - 2017-08-13)