Although best remembered today for his extraordinarily successful Concerts for Children, Sir Robert Mayer (1879–1981) was deeply involved in many music education projects throughout his life – including a long-standing association with the Royal College of Music (RCM). Although he trained initially as a musician, he decided to pursue a career as a businessman, using his money to support the arts. In 1936, he created the Moulton-Mayer Fund with his wife, the singer Dorothy Moulton, to sponsor the first public appearances of musicians who had recently completed their studies. During the Second World War he was involved in a joint scheme with the British Council paying for refugee students from Europe to train at the RCM. In 1969, in recognition of his support, the RCM’s newly acquired residential quarters in Evelyn Gardens was named ‘The Robert Mayer Hall’, and it was there that this portrait was originally displayed.