Bears inscription on stretcher: Property of Mrs Malcolm Drummond

Oil on canvas, 61 by 47 cm

Provenance: the artist’s estate (property of Mrs Malcolm Drummond), their sale Christie’s, 11 November, 1977, lot 63; with Blond Fine Art, Sackville Street, W1, May 1983, when sold to Mr Bennett

Street scenes are a distinctive part of Drummond’s early output and of his exhibits at the Camden Town Group shows of which he was a founder member. Comparisons can be made with his well-known painting, The Park Bench, which is now in The Royal Albert Museum in Exeter and is thought to date from c.1910. The influence of Cezanne is evident in both works, particularly in the depicition if the trees. The stark monumentality of the houses (also evident in The Park Bench) is another strong characteristic of Drummond’s work, possibly anticipating other depictions of the London skyline such as those by Algernon Newton.