Elgar was asked to write a symphony for a festival dedicated to him. The festival was to be in the presence in King Edward VII and his queen Alexandra themselves, in London 1904. Elgar went to Italy to write it. While being there, he was so impressed by what he saw that he decided to create an Italian sound. The result was not a symphony though, and at twenty minutes can hardly be called an overture.
On the cover is a painting by Gustave Courbet, called The seaside at Palavas. Courbet was the leading painter of the French Realism style, from around 1840 onwards. The painting was made in 1854. It looks like the tiniest of humanity is facing the enormity of the sea.
Courbet was later known for his provocative work, among them some nudes in various shapes and sizes. Apart from their commercial value, he also painted them just to provoke the authoritarian regime of Napoleon III. One of these painting was called The origin of the world. It was so scandalous that it took until the 1980s to be on display. I leave it to you and Google to find out more.