Lot Essay
Lowry's pencil drawings from the 1920s are not topographically accurate, but composite views of the city in which he lived and worked all his life. These drawings teem with life, conveying the hustle and bustle of a busy city, seen here on market day. Many of the artist's favourite characters can be found: the schoolgirls with their hair in long plaits; the old men hobbling on their walking sticks; the errand boys rushing across the foreground; and the solitary figure who stands and observes the people all around him.