HELEN BRADLEY (1900-1979)
Going home from Great Aunt Jane's
signed 'HELEN BRADLEY' and with a fly (lower right), inscribed ‘Grandma, the Aunts, Mother, George and I, also/Miss Carter (who wore Pink) and, of course, Gypo and/Barney had been to Great-Aunt Jane's Birthday/Party. The day hadn't been as nice as our usual/Tuesday afternoons at her house, because we all wore/our Best Clothes and we had to sit still. We longed/for her to tell us a story about God, but with it being/her Birthday, she said she could only tell us a bit, but/it was good news. “Well,” she said, “God has come to live/in a shed not far from Harts Head Pike. He had come to/see what Lees, Oldham and Manchester were like, but/she thought he was finding it rather Cold and damp/although she was very friendly with God, she hadn't ever/seen him, but she'd heard that Mrs Winterbottom was going/up to help him, because all the lost dogs had heard of his/coming, so they went to live with him How glad we were to know/that God had come to live near to us. We should not be afraid/again of the Thing that lived on the moors, and as we walked/down to Lees we could see Gods shed and as George and I/watched a light came on, God was at home and the/year was 1906.' (on the artist's label attached to the backboard)
oil on canvas laid on board
16 x 18 in. (40.8 x 45.7 cm.)