Skip to main content
Gunner F J Mears (British, 1890-1929) London Midnight, 1916 (unframed) (together with a further ink, watercolour and pencil, heightened with silver, on paper, London 1916 During the Blackout, by the same hand(2)) image 1
Gunner F J Mears (British, 1890-1929) London Midnight, 1916 (unframed) (together with a further ink, watercolour and pencil, heightened with silver, on paper, London 1916 During the Blackout, by the same hand(2)) image 2
Gunner F J Mears (British, 1890-1929) London Midnight, 1916 (unframed) (together with a further ink, watercolour and pencil, heightened with silver, on paper, London 1916 During the Blackout, by the same hand(2)) image 3
Gunner F J Mears (British, 1890-1929) London Midnight, 1916 (unframed) (together with a further ink, watercolour and pencil, heightened with silver, on paper, London 1916 During the Blackout, by the same hand(2)) image 4
Lot 105

Gunner F J Mears
(British, 1890-1929)
London Midnight, 1916 (unframed)

16 July 2025, 12:00 BST
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £1,152 inc. premium

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our Modern British & Irish Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

Gunner F J Mears (British, 1890-1929)

London Midnight, 1916
signed 'F.J.Mears' (lower left), also indistinctly signed 'Gunner FJ' (lower right)
ink, watercolour and pencil, heightened with silver, on paper, laid on card
19.5 x 28.5cm (7 11/16 x 11 1/4in).
(unframed)
together with a further ink, watercolour and pencil, heightened with silver, on paper, London 1916 During the Blackout, by the same hand
(2)

Footnotes

The present lot depicts London during the blackout in 1916, during the First World War. Blackouts in London were instated on 1st October 1914 by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, in order to reduce the risk of raids by Zeppelins. From 1917 to 1918, approximately 300,000 people would shelter from attacks in underground stations, a number that would significantly increase in the Second World War. This drawing shows that the street-side advertising signs for 'Schweppes' and 'Bovril' are not illuminated, and that the street lights were dimmed. The distinctive silhouette of St Paul's Cathedral can be seen on the horizon.

Additional information

Bid now on these items

Jessica Dismorr(British, 1885-1939)Self Portrait 55.4 x 40.1 cm. (21 3/4 x 15 3/4 in.)

Vanessa Bell(British, 1879-1961)Church of the Redentore, Venice 38.3 x 55.9 cm. (15 x 22 in.)

Dame Elisabeth Frink R.A.(British, 1930-1993)Warrior (Small Warrior) 36.4 cm. (14 3/8 in.) high

Winifred Nicholson(British, 1893-1981)Flowers - Sutton Veny 76.2 x 68.6 cm. (30 x 27 in.)

Laurence Stephen Lowry R.A.(British, 1887-1976)People at the Beach 31.3 x 40.4 cm. (12 3/8 x 16 1/8 in.)

Laurence Stephen Lowry R.A.(British, 1887-1976)Five Figures 26.5 x 18.2 cm. (10 3/8 x 7 1/4 in.)