Wadsworth (1889–1949) was born in Cleckheaton, Yorkshire, the son of a prosperous mill owner. He studied engineering before taking up a place at the Slade. For a time he was associated with the Vorticists, an avant-garde group who sought to reflect the mechanical and industrial advances of the early 20th century in their art. Wadsworth would have seen the landscape of the Black Country from the train as he travelled from London to Liverpool where he was engaged in painting dazzle camouflage on ships. The man-made landscape created by the slag heaps from coal and steel production, dotted with winding wheels, smoking furnaces and freight trains, held a particular beauty for the artist, combining his background with his artistic beliefs.

My Yard, British Council 2009