A Lady and her Reflection

Here we see a young woman wearing a black skirt and yellow top, seated in front of a large mirror and combing her hair styled in a fashionable bob. She appears not to notice the viewer, creating the sense that we have caught her unawares in a quiet, private moment,.

The room is sparsely decorated, yet the large mirror, carved chair and framed painting in the background hint at wealth. The mirror is not hung on the wall, nor is the painting, instead they are propped up against the wall, implying that the room has been packed down in anticipation of a move. The angle of the mirror also allows the artist to show more of the room and the woman who sits in front of it.

With his subtle colour pallete and cropped framing of the image, the artists creates a sense that we have stumbled on the woman quietly reflecting either on a new beginning, or perhaps an end, to a chapter in her life, as she brushes her hair in the same chair, in front of the same mirror as with many times before.

Harold Williamson
Harold Williamson was a British artist known for his paintings, designs and etchings. Born in Manchester in 1892, Williamson began taking evening classes at the Manchester School of Art between 1913 and 1916.

Williason served in the Navy Volunteer Reserve during World War I, before returning to Manchester for further studies at the Manchester School of Art until 1922. In 1926 we was appointed as a Painting Master at Bournemouth College of Art and Design as head of the department of Fine Art. He remained in this role throughout his career until 1962.

Williamson exhibited at the Royal Academy in London, with the New English Art Club, the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, the Manchester City Art Gallery and in the USA. His works are included in the permanent collections of Southampton City Art Gallery, the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, the Manchester Art Gallery and the Southport Art Galleries. In 1979 a retrospective of his work was held at the Belgrave Gallery.