St. John's Wood

Sir Muirhead Bone was a Scottish printmaker and watercolor artist noted for his depictions of architectural and industrial subjects, city views, and landscapes; he settled in London in 1901-02. St. John's Wood is an affluent neighborhood in northwest London. In this night scene: Bone presents a dramatic contrast of darkness and light upon an otherwise modest subject: the side of the Great Central Railway Cutting beneath a large house at street level are dramatically lit, while the overpass bridge at right and sky at the top of the image are in velvety tones of black. Wafting from lower center to the left edge of the image is a trail of smoke rising from an unseen passing train. Defining the upper left side of the image is spindly tree trunk above a "To Let" sign hanging over the railway cutting.