In 1944 Moore made a series of drawings and maquettes (small models) of family groups. These were preliminary ideas for a sculpture to be sited outside a school near Cambridge. In several of the studies two children are shown handling a book, a detail inspired by the scholastic nature of the project. The commission was abandoned for financial reasons, but an altered version of the sculpture (with a single child) was made several years later. Although primarily known as a sculptor, Moore concentrated on drawing while he was an Official War Artist from 1940 to 1942. He produced drawings of Londoners sheltering in underground stations during air raids.