Provenance: given by Evelyn Dunbar to Margaret Lliffe, nee Goodwin.
This
drawing is a preparatory sketch for the illustration which appears on
page 94 of Gardener’s Choice, a¬† collaboration between Charles Mahoney
and
Evelyn Dunbar published by Routledge at the
end of 1937. The full page illustrations were
mostly produced by Mahoney, the vignettes and much of the text by
Dunbar, though Dunbar appears to have also done some of the drawings of
plants.   As
Elizabeth Bulkeley notes in her biographical essay, “They presented the
plants that they liked to draw, paint and grow. The were sculptural and
bold, yet subtle, and unusual for their time. Each was described
lovingly, as if in sharing their favourite plants they were sharing
their mutual happiness”.
Margaret Goodwin attended the Royal College of Art 1929 to 1933, a contemporary of Evelyn Dunbars in the School of
Drawing and Painting.  The two  remained  friends.  It is recorded that they holidayed together, with Mrs Gwynne-Jones
(mother of Allan Gwynne-Jones), at Strawberry cottage, possibly around
the time war was declared.  
We are grateful to Gill Clarke for assistance.