Herman Dirk van Broekhuizen (1871-1953) was married to Fanie Eloff’s niece, Elsie Franzina Eloff (1888-1945). He was a member of the Volksraad in the South African Union From 1925 to 1933. Eloff formed this work from clay during the internment of the 1914 rebels in the Johannesburg Fort during the First World War. The clay, according to his family, was smuggled into the prison in a food basket. The sculpture was carved from South African marble at a later stage. This work was also named ‘From the depths of despair’ by the Van Broekhuizen family.