In autumn 1947, Rawsthorne established her home and studio in London, following a two-year stay in Paris. Her return to London ushered in a productive creative period, and by February 1949 she was granted a prestigious solo exhibition at the city’s Hanover Gallery, where she likely exhibited this painting alongside other skeletal renderings of bats, birds and fish. Rawsthorne’s father was a master mariner who also sold exotic animal specimens to zoos, and in childhood she often drew birds and animals from life. Her passion for observational drawing and natural history remained key inspirations throughout her long career. Around the time this painting was made, she frequented the Natural History Museum in London. The incomplete grid of lines enclosing the two fish are suggestive of glass display cases found in many museums.