Title: Molly and Dot

Artist: STANSON (Ron Lawson)

Price: £45 unframed | £70 framed

Medium: Fine Art Print from Original Oil Painting

Size: 20 × 16 inches

Details:

Fine art print from the original oil on canvas painting, Molly and Dot, part of STANSON's The Engaging Gaze collection.

Original painting: 150 × 100 cm (Sold).

Set against the industrial backdrop of Sunderland's wartime shipyards, Molly and Dot captures a fleeting moment of respite in the working lives of two women whose labour contributed to Britain's shipbuilding effort during the Second World War.

Seated together high above the shipyard floor, the women share a simple break from the demands of their work. Yet their contrasting expressions suggest something beyond the immediate scene. Molly's direct, questioning gaze confronts the viewer, while Dot remains absorbed in the ordinary ritual of eating her lunch.

During the war, women entered traditionally male-dominated industries in unprecedented numbers, undertaking demanding and often dangerous work essential to the national war effort. Their contribution was considerable, yet their individual experiences have too often remained outside the familiar narratives of industrial history.

Through the intimacy of an everyday moment, Molly and Dot invites us to recognise not simply their labour, but their individuality, resilience and humanity.

Part of The Engaging Gaze, a collection exploring the lives and enduring presence of the women who helped shape the industrial heritage of North East England.