Provenance: from the collection of Charles Mahoney

In a gilded and natural wood flat section frame, glazed

This
painting, which belonged to Charles Mahoney, is likely to date to the 1930’s
when Dunbar and Mahoney collaborated together on the Brockley School Murals,
(1932-36) and Gardener’s Choice, (1937).  The arrangement of tulips in the middle foreground
and cart seen on the right hand side are characteristic of Dunbar‘s
compositions, as is the device of placing  the young girl in the foreground which echoes
that of the school boys in the Brockley Murals. Dunbars
figures are often depicted bending in quirky positions, partly on account of
the fact that she preferred to avoid painting faces.  The woman tending the vegetable plot is
similar to a drawing by Dunbar on page 39 of
Gardeners Choice.

The
pinky-yellow palette has much in common with Mahoney’s work of the period, and
setting, especially the stone and brick wall in the foreground and the
Almshouses in the background are reminiscent of Oak Cottage in Wrotham where
Mahoney lived and worked.

We
are grateful to Elizabeth Bulkeley and Dr Gill Clarke for assistance.