This is a posthumous portrait of the 2nd Lord Armstrong of Bamburgh and Cragside, painted a year after he died. In the background we can see Cragside, the property which he inherited from his father in 1941. He served as a Captain in the 7th battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers during the Great War and was later Consul-General for Siam (Thailand) in Canada.

Oil painting on canvas, William John Montagu Watson-Armstrong, 2nd Baron Armstrong of Bamburgh and Cragside (1892-1972) by Mary Bernhard, signed and dated, botttom right: Bernhard 1973. A posthumous half-length portrait of an elderly man in a landscape, facing the viewer, holding a walking stick in his left hand. A view of Cragside can be seen in the middle distance.

Provenance: Armstrong collection. Transferred by the Treasury to The National Trust in 1977 via the National Land Fund, aided by 3rd Baron Armstrong of Bamburgh and Cragside (1919 – 1987).

Marks and inscriptions: Bottom right: Bernard 1973

Text from the National Trust website

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Cragside, Rothbury, Northumberland
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: Mary Bernhard (fl.1973)
Date: 1973

Image Details
Date: 21 April 2026
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/25s
ISO: 500
Licensing: Image of a National Trust asset. This image cannot be licensed.