Indian women in Trafalgar Square

Three Indian women wearing brightly coloured saris are portrayed by the fountain at Trafalgar Square. As they walk through the London landmark, a number of white people are depicted in the background, some feeding pigeons while others look into the fountain.

Harold Deardon was a member of the Christadelphian religious group, who believe in equality and harmony between all Christian brethren. This painting is one of a pair; the accompanying painting depicts a Carribean family feeding pigeons in Trafalgar Square, and both works evoke a harmonious society in which immigration has been accepted.

Both paintings appear to date from the 1950s, a period when debate about commonwealth immigration was at its height. The 1948 British Nationality Act extended citizenship rights to people in commonwealth countries and the first Windrush sailings took place in the same year.