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Joseph Southall:
Matinee train, 1930
Framed (ref: 5314)

Signed and dated with monogram, inscribed with title on the right hand side margin
Watercolour
4 5/8 x 9 3/8 in. (12 x 24 cm.)

Tags: Joseph Southall watercolour

Southall's output as a painter declined considerably with the outbreak of World War I, as the pacifism inherent in his Quaker faith led him to devote his energies to anti-war campaigning. His main artistic output during this period were anti-war cartoons printed in pamphlets and magazines, which number among his most powerful works.

Post-war, with his reputation well established, Southall produced fewer of the epic (and time consuming) tempera works that made his critical name. Much of his life involved travel: favourite destinations included France, Italy, Fowey in Cornwall and Southwold in Suffolk, and these trips generally resulted in series of landscapes, often in watercolour.   The subject of Matinee train, though clearly observed by Southall, has yet to be identified. Possibly the fashionably dressed ladies, and single man,  seated in front of  lunch boxes (?) appear to be  at the long counter of a bar.   As they are still wearing coats it would appear they  are en route, rather than at, the  Matinee referred to in the title.

We are grateful to George Breeze for assistance.