The Contraption, c.1972-3

Offset lithograph on wove paper, after the original oil painting from 1949 of the same title

Signed ‘L.S. Lowry’ lower right in pencil

Stamped by the Fine Art Trade Guild and numbered from the edition of 750

Published by the Adam Collection Ltd.

Printed by Chorley & Pickersgill Ltd.

Size: 121⁄2 x 12 in. (32.4 x 30.5 cm.)Laurence Stephen Lowry, R.A. (1887-1976)

Provenance Private Collection, U.K.

Condition: Excellent

Inspired by the painting of the same name, which was previously owned by Lowry’s dealer, Andras Kalman, "The Contraption" captures a scene that deeply fascinated Lowry, prompting him to immortalize it in oil.
The "contraption" depicted is an invalid carriage, akin to today’s electric mobility scooters. The earliest version of this carriage was invented in 1655 by Stephan Farfler, who designed it with a handle to rotate the wheels, enabling easier travel for individuals with disabilities.
By the twentieth century, these carriages evolved into motorized versions resembling motorcycles with canopies (see fig. 2).

Lowry encountered the invalid carriage while exploring the streets of Manchester and recounted the experience with a mix of humour and embarrassment: “I came across that thing on one of my walks. There was this man moving slowly in an extraordinary upright box on wheels. I couldn’t help but follow him. He had the face of a poet. Suddenly, he turned to me: ‘What the bloody hell are you following me for?’—and much more like that. I felt like a fool.”

Lowry was an astute observer of people. Critic and Lowry historian Mervyn Levy notes that the artist “watched individuals in various situations: sometimes arguing, sometimes surprised, curious at an accident, or patiently waiting for a shop to open or for papers to arrive.” This work exemplifies his fascination with unique characters, leading one critic to liken him to an entomologist, “stalking human insects with his butterfly net... Lowry has become a collector of people.”