A volume of poems by David Gascoyne was published in December 1943 by Tambimuttu's 'Poetry London' titled ‘Poems 1937-1942’. Herbert Read suggested that Graham Sutherland should do the illustrations for the volume and Gascoyne liked the idea, as did Peter Watson. Sutherland created a series of 18 drawings loosely related to Gascoyne's verses - 7 were used in the published volume. The works were bequeathed by the artist to the first Graham Sutherland Gallery at Picton Castle, 1976.