A London Transport Underground Station by Olga Lehmann, ink and gouache on paper

In 1929 Lehmann was awarded a scholarship to the Slade School of Fine Art whose curriculum focused on studying the human figure. She made her career as a painter, muralist, illustrator and designer for magazines and of cards and wallpaper. Her broad repertoire ensured she received steady creative work during the war.

This is likely to be one of several preparatory drawings Lehmann made across Central and North London in 1940 for a mural to decorate the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Headquarters in Camden. Her designs featured public sheltering, ARP personnel and bomb damage. The War Artists’ Advisory Committee later purchased two of the drawings (Imperial War Museums collection). Purchased in 1990. Copyright: the artist's estate / RAF Museum.