Under Windsor Bridge on the Irwell, Manchester, 1912 (oil on linen on jute)

A smog-filled, hazy view of the River Irwell, seen from the riverbank with the Irwell Street Bridge (incorrectly identified as Windsor Bridge) overhead. In the foreground to the right, on the edge of the bank is a dark, solitary figure wearing a brimmed hat and knee-length coat. He is stood with his hands in his pockets looking out across the still water. On the left, a barge with a smoking funnel noses into the scene, about to pass under the Irwell Street Bridge on the right. The bridge is characteristic of the industrial era with open ironwork construction and arched sides. On the far side of the bridge is a second, similar barge; it’s lights visible through the haze. The vessels are a known as a 'Mersey Flat', a wide variety of barge used for transporting goods. This painting shows Irwell Street Bridge, Manchester, which crosses the river just below Quay Street. Valette must have mistaken the name, as there is no record of it known as Windsor Bridge. The view looks across to Salford. On the left is a 'Mersey Flat', a wide type of barge, used for carrying grain, cotton, coal and salt. The back view of a lone, silhouetted figure looking out prefigures similar ones to be found in Lowry's work.