Provenance
The Artist's Estate
Note: In 1924 Johnson and his great friend, the artist Arthur Wragg, visited Polperro for the first time and fell in love with the place. Frederick Thomas Nettleinghame, a publisher and 'tourist operator' had arrived in Polperro the year before, setting up a business dealing in artefacts for the tourist market. He found the two young artists to be enthusiastic assistants in the production of burnt wood designs, or 'pokerwork'. Subsequently Fred Roberts Johnson and Wragg rented a cottage in the village each summer. This continued throughout the 1930s, during which time they became integral members of the Polperro community. In addition, Fred acquired an old stone net loft in the village, for use as a studio. His friendship over the years with the local fishermen resulted in the creation of a group of fisherman's portraits, which were hung in the Polperro Museum.