Who painted Catharine Place, Bath, Somerset?

Catharine Place, Bath, Somerset was painted by Phyllis Ginger in 1940.

Where can I see Catharine Place, Bath, Somerset?

Catharine Place, Bath, Somerset is held by Victoria and Albert Museum.

What movement is Catharine Place, Bath, Somerset?

Catharine Place, Bath, Somerset is associated with British Romanticism.

Artwork

Catharine Place, Bath, Somerset

Phyllis Ginger , 1940

Catharine Place, Bath, Somerset is a watercolor work on paper by the British Romanticist artist Phyllis Ginger. It dates from 1940 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

Phyllis Ginger’s 1940 watercolour records a bomb‑induced rupture in a Georgian terrace on a Bath street. The composition captures a quiet corner where the war’s destructive impact is evident in the broken façade, set against the city’s characteristic stone architecture.

Subject & Meaning

The image portrays a narrow, light‑stone street lined with three‑storey houses, their large windows and modest balconies juxtaposed with a leafless tree and a low fence. The absence of figures emphasizes the disruption of everyday life caused by the wartime explosion.

Technique & Style

Executed in muted blues and greys, Ginger employs delicate washes that soften edges, allowing distant structures to recede into atmospheric haze. Minimal line work suggests curbs and sidewalks, while the overall palette conveys the somber mood of a city under siege.

History & Provenance

Created for the Recording Britain project, the work was part of a government‑sponsored effort (administered by the Committee for the Employment of Artists in Wartime and funded by the Pilgrim Trust) to document at‑risk British locales between 1940 and 1943. Bath and the wider Somerset region were among the sites selected for this visual archive.

Context

The Recording Britain scheme enlisted 97 artists who produced over 1,500 pieces, capturing market towns, rural scenes, and historic architecture threatened by bombing, invasion, or rapid change. Ginger’s contribution reflects the broader aim of preserving a visual record of Britain’s cultural landscape during World War II.