Bomberg was a founding member of the London Group, he co-curated (with sculptor Jacob Epstein) the ‘Jewish Section’ at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in May 1914 and held his first solo exhibition at the Chenil Galleries, Chelsea in June, before a traumatic experience in the trenches during the First World War. Afterwards, Bomberg became fascinated by canals in both France and in England, executing a series based on the barges – and ‘bargees’ who lived upon them – in which he continued to experiment with pattern and form.