The Irish-born Norman Garstin settled in Newlyn, Cornwall in 1886 from when this painting was made. It was painted in the open air at twilight on a summer’s evening. He had originally trained as an engineer and studied architecture and took up painting after being a diamond dealer in South Africa in the 1870s. During the 1880s Garstin trained in fine art in Antwerp and Paris where no doubt he would have come across Monet and the Impressionists whose inspiration is visible in this painting, Haycocks and Sun (1886). It was bequeathed to the Contemporary Art Society by the artist’s daughter, Alethea Garstin (1894-1978), along with at least 40 other works that were presented to public galleries throughout the UK and abroad.