Description
Evelyn Dunbar and Carel Weight are two names that come to mind on viewing this picture and it is true to say the painting shows great confidence and skill in its handling. Without a signature, one can only speculate as to who might be responsible for painting this colourful and lively image from the British Post War era.
During a strong gale, one of the three women depicted in the picture is washing her linen, crouching amongst a row of brussels over a zinc tub. To her right, a woman in a pink spotted dress is attempting to hang out the washing in the strong wind, while the third is looking on into the sky in expectation of rain. The fashion for striped and spotted dresses was common in the 1950s. The lady wearing the pink dress is wearing stockings with a more visible black seam, also popular in the 50s. In the background on the rooves of the terraced houses are a number of TV aerials in the shape of an H. By 1952 these odd aerials would be connected to extremely large and heavy television sets that were the first in wireless signal transmission. On June 2, 1953, The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was televised in the UK. Sales of TV sets rose sharply in the weeks leading up to the event so it may be that the picture was painted around this time or possibly a little later in the decade.
