Roadside Picnic

James McBey|Mrs. Marguerite McBey

1931–50 · Graphite · Drawings and Prints

The inscribed greeting and double signatures below this sketch of a man drawing and woman reading near their sedan indentify the figures as the Scottish artist McBey and his young American wife Marguerite, a photographer and bookbinder. The likely recipient was the etcher John Taylor Arms, who donated the drawing to the Museum. During the Second World War the McBeys were unable to return to their London home and made a cross-country trip. The open plain and straight road receding towards mountains shown here suggest a western site.

Artist

James McBey|Mrs. Marguerite McBey

Date

1931–50

Medium

Graphite

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift of the Estate of John Taylor Arms, 1955