Cargo ships 'Middleham Castle' and 'Bolton Castle' discharging grain, 1918 (gouache, pastel, paper)

Creator: Herbert Barnard John Everett Focusing on ships and silos, with little sign of human life, this scene is about the machinery of war. During the First World War, John Everett was at first unable to sketch outdoors due to wartime security regulations, but in the spring of 1918, the Ministry of Information asked him to depict London river scenes and provided Everett with a permit to draw. Everett was attracted to depicting ships that were covered in 'dazzle painting' or camouflage and it is these that are among his most daring works, having been displayed at the Goupil Gallery in London in November 1918.