The son of a Belgian architect, Frank Brangwyn was born in the historic city of Bruges. In England he studied wood engraving and worked under William Morris for three years as a tapestry designer. His earliest etchings were produced in 1900. His lively etching style, for which he was frequently criticized, is characterized by deep biting into the plate and heavy inking, and is perhaps the product of his earlier training as a wood engraver. Caravans dates to 1923, and translates the spontaneous quality of a quick pencil sketch into the printed medium. It originally included a panoramic view of five caravans overflowing with possessions and followed alongside by men, women, children and animals. Only five proofs were printed of that initial version; the plate was later cut down and an edition was printed from the central section, as seen here.