Sarah, the artist's wife

This work depict's the artist's wife Sarah, who was Jacob Kramer's sister. It relates closely to an oil of the same title, which is in the collection of Manchester City Art Gallery. Roberts did not tend to make pencil or watercolour studies for his portraits in oil, so it is likely that the present work is not a study for the oil, but that he was so pleased with the drawing that he decided to work it up into an oil, rather than having intended to produce an oil from the start.

We are very grateful to Bob Davenport and David Cleall of the William Roberts Society for their assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.