A number of artists' colonies developed in Britain at the end of the 19th Century, places where like-minded artists could work together to develop their art. Stanhope Forbes was the central figure in the Newlyn colony where he established a school of art based largely on 'plein-air' or outdoor study of people working in the landscape.

Further down the coast at St. Ives, artists like Julius Olsson and John Park took a more 'aesthetic' approach, concentrating on atmospheric effects and a harmonious composition rather than careful description of the subject or story-telling.