Have received much new information recently, but rather a slow job getting it online as I try to limit the amount of time I spend at the keyboard, plus other projects on the go, as well as working full time. Have faith, if you’ve sent me something it will appear eventually.

---

Came across an image in The Queen, 20 May 1922, p623, showing a work, “Group of children at play … By Mrs A. L. Swynnerton”, with the image being described in the text as an example of “her sure grasp of the essentials of composition”. The newspaper unfortunately gives no other information on the work.

In a remarkable coincidence, I had just recently received a partial image of the same work, now in a private collection and described as “attributed to Annie Swynnerton”, the correspondent asking if I could shed any light on the piece.

The article in The Queen confirms Annie as the author (as sure as one can be – newspapers occasionally make errors or print another artist’s work by mistake, but seems unlikely in this context).

Judging by what I think is a plug socket in the bottom left corner of the photograph sent, the exposed canvas is approx. 65 cm across and the frame c. 6 cm wide.

The treatment of the sea is similar to that in Blue Seascape, including the white fleck in the centre – a sail?

Very difficult to date given Annie’s variability in execution, but c. 1922 is a fair guess, based on the newspaper publication date. Without that I’d have said any time from c. 1900 onwards.

A special thanks to the person who sent the email and image.

---

Jonathan Russell, 7 Mar 2026.

Note: The correspondent had originally tried to post the image in the comments section on one page where it would have been publically visible, so I’ve assumed they are okay with me posting the work here. They’re welcome to contact me at swynnerton.blog@gmail.com if they’d prefer the image not shown.