Rolled Up Sleeves Collection

Kneeling Woman with Straw Hat, n. d. Creator: Henry Stacy Marks
Kneeling Woman with Straw Hat, n.d

Boy with Pitcher (La Regalade), 1862 / 72. Creator: Edouard Manet
Boy with Pitcher (La Regalade), 1862/72

Charles Mortimer behind the wheel of an offset-bodied single-seater MG KN Special
MG KN Special 1087 cc. Driver: Charles Mortimer Offset-bodied single seater Ex-Bellvue Garage. Place:

British racing driver Charles Mortimer at Brooklands, Surrey, 1939. Artist: Bill Brunell
Place: Brooklands. Date: 11.5.39. Charles Mortimer

Charles Mortimer behind the wheel of a MG KN Special, c1930s Artist: Bill Brunell
MG KN Special 1087 cc. Driver: Charles Mortimer. Place: Date: Charles Mortimer

A watch cap maker at work, 1911-1912. Artist: AL Hitchin
A watch cap maker at work, 1911-1912. From Penroses Pictorial Annual 1911-1912, The Process Year Book, volume 17, edited by William Gamble and published by AW Penrose (London, 1911-1912)

Young man standing in studio, gesturing, (B&W)

Young man standing in studio, holding hand on forehead, (B&W)

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Rolled up sleeves: A universal symbol of determination and focus, from a kneeling woman with a straw hat in a Henry Stacy Marks painting, to a boy carrying a pitcher in an Edouard Manet masterpiece. Through the decades, this gesture has resonated with artists and audiences alike. It's seen in the intense concentration of a watch cap maker at work, captured by A.L. Hitchin in 1911-1912. The grit and focus of British racing driver Charles Mortimer behind the wheel of his MG KN Special, immortalized by Bill Brunell in the 1930s. And in the studios of yesteryear, where young men stood with sleeves rolled up, ready to take on any challenge, as depicted in black and white photographs from the Daily Mirror's Ruggles feature.