Jan Gordon: The Daffodil Seller

A vibrant painting by Jan Gordon, made in London, probably in the mid 1920s to early 1930s, shows a daffodil seller in a bustling street.


A lady sits next to her stepped display of daffodils, the flowers being held in four vases to a row. A man strides past with a box on his shoulder and other hat-bearing ladies and gentlemen walk along the street or stop to chat. 

Admiring the daffodils is a smart lady with her daughter and younger son, the latter wearing a sailor's uniform. There's nothing to prove it, but this trio is very reminiscent of Doris, Pamela and Denis (W.D.A.) Smith, friends of Jan and Cora Gordon since WW1 days. Perhaps the partially obscured "SMITH & Co" above the shop door on the other side of the street supports this notion.

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