This is one of the earliest known paintings by Gwen John and was executed in around 1896 when she was only 20 years old. The older of the two girls in the picture is Winifred John (1879–1967), Gwen’s younger sister and the subject of two further portraits in the museum’s collection. Gwen had left Tenby for the Slade School of Fine Art in 1895, returning to Tenby briefly at the end of this year. It is probable then that the picture was painted whilst she was at the Slade, possibly from her visit to Tenby at this time. This picture is not a typical Gwen John picture and is almost unique in her body of work. Apart from its early date the picture holds a fascination in these differences to her more recognisable interior works. The museum does not know of another work by this artist that depicts her hometown.