About this objectThis work shows the sitting room of 102 Wilbury Road in Letchworth Garden City, where William Ratcliffe stayed with Stanley Parker (brother of Letchworth Garden City architect Barry) and his wife Signe. The work is similar to a piece called 'The Artist's Room, Letchworth' held in the Tate Gallery collection and may actually be a more finished version of the same piece, but from a slightly different angle. Both works show similar furnishings like curtains and wall hangings as well as arts and crafts furniture. Wilbury Road is regarded as a major and complete example of the arts and crafts idiom of the Garden City architects Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin.
This work was purchased at auction by the museum, with kind assistance from a variety of funding bodies such as Arts Council/V & A, the Art Fund, and the Hertfordshire Heritage Fund.
MakerWilliam Ratcliffe
Maker RoleArtist
Date Madec.1916
Period20th Century (1901-2000)
Medium and MaterialsOil on canvas
Place MadeUnited Kingdom, England, Hertfordshire, Letchworth Garden City
