Descriptions

Lithographic print of original charcoal and chalk drawing by artist Sir David Muirhead Bone titled ‘Moving heavy gun tubes’. Published in this series in 1917, it was originally executed in 1916.

The print forms part of a green paper folder of an “edition de luxe” of signed proofs: 6 prints made from the War Drawings of Muirhead Bone. The print is captioned: ‘This is a corner in the gun shop where heavy gun forgings of all sorts lie about waiting their turn on the machines. The overhead crane is lifting one of the guns. Many of these cranes are being driven by women’.

This print depicts a notable part of the British war effort at home. The place of women in the workforce is also an important historical reference. Women’s role and place in the workforce during the First World War eventually helped lead to votes for women in 1918.

Muirhead Bone (1876-1953) was a Scottish watercolourist and etcher. He was known for his depictions of wartime industrial and architectural settings. He was on the advisory committees for the British War Memorials during the First World War and the War Artists Advisory panel during the Second World War.

This object is not on display.

Inscription

lower left signed Bone

lower right pencil signed Muirhead Bone

lower centre monogram stamp MB