Variation on Peggy

Variation on Peggy (1934) at Tate is among Walter Sickert's most discussed late works, part of a series of paintings made from photographic sources in which he depicted a young woman named 'Peggy' in various poses and settings. The 'Variation' of the title signals explicitly that this is not a portrait from life but a pictorial reworking of an existing image — the photographic source transformed through the painter's intervention into something different and independent. By the 1930s Sickert had made the use of photographic sources a central theoretical and practical commitment, and the Peggy series exemplifies this mature phase. The series has attracted attention both for its formal qualities and for its place within the broader biography of Sickert's late career — a period when he was living with his third wife Thérèse Lessore and continuing to paint productively despite advancing age. Tate holds this as part of its representation of British modernism, and it stands as evidence that Sickert's photographic-source practice generated canvases of genuine pictorial interest rather than mere mechanical transcription. The 'Variation' title also suggests a musical metaphor — painting as variation on a theme — consistent with Sickert's lifelong engagement with music hall and theatrical culture.

Oil on canvas with the particular tonal quality of Sickert's photo-source works — broad, assured handling with strong light-dark contrast derived from the photographic original. The figure occupies the composition with emphatic presence despite the simplified, non-detailed treatment of features and clothing.