Harry Epworth Allen was born in the Eccleshall district of Sheffield on November 27, 1894, and died on March 25, 1958, at the age of 63.

From the 1930s until the end of his life, he was considered one of the foremost British landscape artists. His work was first accepted for exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1933.

Although born in Yorkshire, the proximity of his home to Derbyshire led him to make many forays into the county to paint. As a result, Derbyshire scenes feature in much of his work.

His rather fluid style, almost surreal, has been called 'beautiful and enigmatic' and it certainly has a 'modern' feel to it, considering Allen was at his peak some 75 years ago.

He is, in a sense, a well-kept secret but those in the know ensure that his works are keenly sought after and generally sell well at auction.