This print, titled Bloomsbury, by Muirhead Bone (1876–1953), depicts a quiet street lined with houses on either side. The buildings on the right are rendered with particular care, showing discernible architectural details. A streetlamp stands on the pavement near the centre of the lower half of the composition while a horse and carriage move along the road toward the viewer. Nearby, two figures add a subtle sense of life to the otherwise still and subdued scene. The grey sky is suggested through a series of simple, repeated pencil lines - a technique Bone also applies throughout the composition to create texture and depth. The title indicates that the setting is likely a street in Bloomsbury, a district in London’s West End. Created in 1908, the print dates from Bone’s London period, a few years after his move to the city in 1901 and roughly a decade after he first began printmaking in 1898.

Sir Muirhead Bone HRSA HRSW HON RE HON ARIBA, 1876-1953

The son of a journalist, Bone was born in Glasgow and attended evening classes at Glasgow School of Art while apprenticed to an architect for three years. In 1894 he decided to become a full-time artist, working for a period as a freelance illustrator for the Scots Pictorial. His architectural training left him with a fascination with buildings, which he often depicted under construction and demolition. A consummate draughtsman, he first came to prominence as a printmaker, later becoming an etcher of international renown. However, he is remembered chiefly for his drawings in a range of media. He travelled widely, and was a distinguished was artist during both world wars.