Andrew Causey comments, 'Gertler seems affectionate towards his subjects, treating them with a concreteness that suggests real feeling ... The culture that Gertler's paintings evoke is not so much pre-industrial or rural as that of the Victorian front room, with its aspidistra and ornaments, a place not for regular living but for special occasions and display' (Mark Gertler Paintings & Drawings, Camden Arts Centre exhibition catalogue, Northampton, 1992, pp. 25-26).