This charming late-19th-century watercolour by Canadian artist Mary S Hagarty (1857-1936) depicts a scene at Porlock Weir, Somerset. Hagarty was an accomplished painter/watercolourist predominantly known for landscapes.Leaning on a rickety cart, she holds the reins of a weary donkey, while conversing with an older woman over a stone wall. Beyond, a thatched building, perhaps an inn, with a glimpse of the Bristol Channel further on. It’s a passing moment rendered with great skill and observation.Born in Ontario, Canada, Hagarty moved with her family early in life to Liverpool, where she lived for the next four decades before moving to London. She was probably trained by her father Alfred Hagarty, who lists his occupation as “landscape painter” in the census.She possessed a keen fascination for the transient effects of light and her finest works were often captured under the radiant glow of a hazy morning, as we see here. Note the bright illumination on the chimney breast and...