Sands of Dee

The River Dee runs from Snowdonia in Wales to its estuary between the Wirral Peninsula and Wales, where it comes out into Liverpool Bay. Short may have had in mind Charles Kingsley's (1819 - 1875) poem 'The Sands of Dee', which tells the tale of a young woman drowning as the tide rises and she tries to bring cattle in. Historically, cattle were grazed on the Dee estuary at low tide. Short lived and worked in London and Sussex for most of his life. He was considered one of the leading figures in the field of etching and engraving in the early 20th century, responsible for reviving interest in mezzotint and aquatint techniques. He was also a skilled watercolourist, as shown by this work.