bankers

Octave Homberg (1876-1941) was the main assistant of Alexandre Ribot, french Minister of Finance in 1914, he presided the currency board and negotiated the American loan. fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famille_Homberg see: New-York tribune, September 11, 1915, Page 3: chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1915-09-11/ed-... (O. Homberg described as member of French Foreign Office) "Sir Basil Phillott Blackett (8 January 1882 – 15 August 1935) was a British Civil Servant and expert on international finance." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Blackett_%28civil_servant%29

The New-York Tribune article above indicates that the three were "ANGLO FRENCH FINANCIAL COMMISSIONERS CONFERRING WITH BANKERS TO ARRANGE HUGE WAR LOAN FOR ALLIES."

Annual Report of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York books.google.com/books?id=BJYpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA40&lp... published in 1916, indicates that they arrived on September 10, 1915 "The Anglo-French commissioners, Lord Reading, Sir Edward H. Holden, Bart., Sir Henry Babington Smith, Basil P. Blackett, Esq., M. Ernest Mallet, and M. Octave Homberg, arrived on September 10 to discuss with American bankers plans to stabilize exchange. Further large shipments of gold were received from London via Halifax. Rates fluctuated irregularly. During the next month a firmer tone resulted from prospects of successful negotiations with the Anglo-French commissioners, but when the underwriting of the $500,000,000 loan was announced the market did not respond and weakness in sterling was accompanied by recessions in continental exchange. During the third week in October the publication of figures of heavy exports and large offerings of bills caused further weakness." Other pictures in this batch capture the delivery of a shipment of gold.

The Bankers Magazine, Volume 91, p 636 books.google.com/books?id=cXU9AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA636&l... has a piece on The Anglo-French Loan. An October 15 United Press report in news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19151017&... Indicates that these three did not travel together on the return trip. Hence this picture is likely taken when they arrived from Europe in September. books.google.com/books?id=5uggAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA757&l... reports that they arrived on the SS Lapland of the White Star Line. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Lapland

Thanks for the info! We'll update record.

Henry P. Davison (left) - Henry Pomeroy Davison (June 12, 1867 - May 6, 1922) was an American banker and philanthropist. "He founded Bankers Trust Company, and became a senior partner at JP Morgan & Company, and in 1910 he was a participant in the secretive meeting on Jekyll Island, Georgia that may have led to the creation of the Federal Reserve. "With the entry of the United States in World War I in 1917, Davision was named Chairman of the War Council of the American Red Cross. In 1919, he published a book, The American Red Cross in the Great War, describing the wartime activities of the Red Cross." -- Wikipedia Henry P. Davison: The record of a useful life. By his friend and partner. Thomas W. Lamont, Harper Bros.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Pomeroy_Davison

Great photo...

I'm from Surat