The William Roberts Society

William Roberts:

The Wash

Illustration © The Estate of John David Roberts. Reproduced with the permission of the William Roberts Society. Catalogue information based on the catalogue raisonné by David Cleall. For this and full details of the exhibitions cited, see the links below.

The Wash (aka Bath-night), 1929
Oil on canvas, 40.5 cm x 51 cm

Sarah and William Roberts's son, John David Roberts, was born in 1919, and at the time of this picture would have been about 10 years old – which suggests that there could be an autobiographical element here. The family were struggling financially during the 1920s and the '30s, and lived in a succession of small rented flats. While this scene is not necessarily a literal depiction of John being bathed by Sarah, with William Roberts reading the newspaper, it is nevertheless probably drawn quite directly from the Robertses' domestic experience. Sarah and John would serve as models for William Roberts throughout his life, sometimes quite directly. However, Roberts also created characters in his paintings that are more generalised types – built upon observed gestures, postures, facial expressions and clothes while not being actual portraits – and this is probably the case with this work.
PROVENANCE: Sir Kenneth Clark > ? > Bolton Museum and Art Gallery (N.B. incorrectly titled Miner's Toilet – cf. letter from John David Roberts to Dartington 1993)
EXHIBITION HISTORY: London Artists' Association (2) 1931 (30 gns), Newcastle 2004, Chichester 2007