William Roberts, R.A.

Ernest, Brown & Phillips (Leicester Galleries), London, where bought by Sir David Scott, 28 January 1952 for £31.10.0

London, Leicester Galleries, New Year Exhibition, 1952, no. 105;
Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum, William Roberts, R.A., 1985, no. 60

STRUCTURE The work is on wove paper which has been laid down. There are artist's pinholes in each corner but these are disguised by the mount. The edges of the sheet are slightly stained by the mount. SURFACE The surface of the sheet is in good overall condition. FRAME Held under glass and presented within a cream mount in a simple wooden rectilinear frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

'William Roberts always paints in a very massive, solid was the and he says what he has to say in a very definite manner. Nothing, for instance, could be more utterly relaxed and indolent than this girl.' Sir David Scott

Sarah Kramer, the sitter was the sister of the artist Jacob Kramer.  Roberts met and befriended her at the Slade in 1913. Sarah (later the painter's wife) recalled her first meeting with Roberts, 'Jacob gave me a holiday in London while I was still in school, and we arranged to meet in the ABC [tea room] in Tottenham Court Road. He arrived with Bomberg and this very shy young man with whom I subsequently lived 63 years.' (Sarah Roberts, unpublished notes for an autobiography).

Sarah Roberts visited the Scotts with her son John in August 1984, four years after the death of William Roberts. She told the Scotts that she had posed for this picture in 1945 at Marston outside Oxford. Roberts lived at 76 Copse Lane from 1940 to 1945. Because of its proximity to Oxford, Marston was popular with academics and artists, among the notable residents during Roberts's time there being the philosopher John Langshaw Austin, the botanist John Laker Harley and classical scholar Eric Robertson Dodds.