If Laurence Stephen Lowry had caught his train from Pendlebury to Manchester as intended, the art world might have been deprived of one of Britain’s most recognisable 20th-century artists.
In 1909, Lowry moved with his parents from the leafy suburb of Victoria Park to Pendlebury, Salford, following the family’s financial difficulties. At first, he was disinterested in his new surroundings. However, a missed train in 1916 would prove a turning point.
“One day I missed a train from Pendlebury… and as I left the station I saw the Acme Spinning Company’s mill. The huge black framework of rows of yellow-lit windows standing up against the sad, damp charged afternoon sky. The mill was turning out... I watched this scene… with rapture.” - L.S. Lowry
After leaving school, Lowry worked first for the Pall Mall Company and then as a rent collector. These experiences brought him face-to-face with working-class life in the industrial North, offering the perfect lens for his future artistic exploration.
He studied antique and freehand drawing privately in the evenings, securing a place at Manchester School of Art in 1905. There he was taught by French Impressionist Pierre Adolphe Valette. His studies continued at the Royal Technical Institute in Salford from 1915 to 1925, a period that shaped both his artistic identity and subject matter.
While Lowry is often associated with bustling industrial scenes and his ‘matchstick’ figures, he was equally adept at capturing solitary, contemplative views. His lesser-known works often include sparse seascapes, empty streets, and lone figures, deeply personal reflections of mood and memory.
“There must be innumerable ways of looking at the same aspects of life. A silent street, a building for instance, can be as effective as a street full of people to me. It is the outlook or message that matters.” - L.S. Lowry
Mark Hudson, in his book Lowry’s Lamps, highlights Lowry’s use of urban details such as lampposts, bollards and gates. These often take on human form and emotional weight, contributing just as much as figures to the composition’s atmosphere.
Two Early Examples from the 1920s
The two works presented here, Hulme Place, Salford (1926) and Rhyl Harbour (1924), are superb examples of Lowry’s early draughtsmanship. Each shows his evolving ability to distil a mood or narrative using only pencil and paper.
L.S. LOWRY, R.A. (BRITISH, 1887-1976)
Hulme Place, Salford
Estimate £22,000 - £28,000
L.S. LOWRY, R.A. (BRITISH, 1887-1976)
Rhyl Harbour
Estimate £20,000 - £30,000
Both works exemplify Lowry’s talent for composition and the subtle emotional undercurrents that run through even his simplest studies. In their sparseness, they offer a rare window into his development before the more populated and widely recognised scenes of later decades.