In a leading article which appeared on 18 December 1903, The Times described "Messrs. Hill and Trumper" as "two batsmen who are without superiors anywhere in the world." Born in Adelaide in 1877, and maker of 3412 runs for Australia in his 49 Tests between 1896 and 1911-12, Hill died in 1945 leaving behind an undiminished reputation as one of the finest left-handers the world has seen.

The portrait actually published in The Empire's Cricketers shows Hill coming forward with lofted bat, his face half in profile, and the effect is one of rippling movement as he looks to hit the ball through the off side. However, in this preliminary sketch the artist clearly contemplated showing Hill making an on side stroke. As an unfinished portrait, facing front, it is an evocative reminder of the wide, ungainly stance and penetrating gaze of the legendary left-hander. The use of white chalk on the subject's face, as well as shirt -- not a feature of the chromolithograph -- is particularly effective.