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The Giant Stride

Drawing
ca. 1922 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Drawing for the woodcut 'The Giant Stride' in black and red ink featuring boys and girls swinging around a pole. The swing takes centre stage in the image and consists of a large central pole with chains and wooden batons which the children grip with both hands. The background features a seascape with sailing ship, bi-plane, windmill and figures sunbathing on the shore. To the left are a group setting up and other smaller figures in the distance. To the right a boy digs in sand while two women sit under a parasol and further back another couple sit beside a striped bathing tent (for changing into swimming costumes); another person flies a kite, with a sketch of the same in the margin. In the foreground sitting watching the swing is a young girl, a terrier dog and beach ball and kite. Even further back can be seen a group of smaller figures. The scene is set in the 1920s.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Giant Stride (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Pen and ink on tracing paper
Brief description
Drawing for the woodcut 'The Giant Stride' by John Edgar Platt ca. 1922; Britain.
Physical description
Drawing for the woodcut 'The Giant Stride' in black and red ink featuring boys and girls swinging around a pole. The swing takes centre stage in the image and consists of a large central pole with chains and wooden batons which the children grip with both hands. The background features a seascape with sailing ship, bi-plane, windmill and figures sunbathing on the shore. To the left are a group setting up and other smaller figures in the distance. To the right a boy digs in sand while two women sit under a parasol and further back another couple sit beside a striped bathing tent (for changing into swimming costumes); another person flies a kite, with a sketch of the same in the margin. In the foreground sitting watching the swing is a young girl, a terrier dog and beach ball and kite. Even further back can be seen a group of smaller figures. The scene is set in the 1920s.
Dimensions
  • Approx., irregular height: 20.2cm
  • Approx., irregular width: 44.5cm
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • POWERFUL STRAIGHT / ANGULAR QUICK (Annotation on image, top left)
  • TREMULOUS / THIN ZIG ZAG (Annotation on image, centre left)
  • HEAVY / CHEVRON (Annotation on image, centre left)
  • TREMULOUS / SENSITIVE (Annotation on image, left of centre)
  • CURVILINEAR (Annotation on image, within beach ball, bottom centre forground)
  • OVALS (Annotation in pencil top centre above margin)
  • 1918 (Part of image, carved into swing pole, top centre)
  • ANGULAR / POSITIVE / CURVILINEAR / SENSITIVE (Last two words crossed through; annotation on image, top centre)
  • curvilinear (Annotation, top right above margin)
  • ANGULAR / RAGGED (First word crossed through; annotation on image, top right)
  • CURVILINEAR (Annotation on image, centre right)
  • Concentric ellipses (Annotation in pencil bottom right in margin)
  • ovals (Annotation in pencil bottom right in margin)
Credit line
Given by Mrs Liza Axford, grand-daughter of the artist
Subjects depicted
Associated object
E.4053-1934 (Object)
Collection
Accession number
E.1630-2000

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Record createdApril 28, 2003
Record URL
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