AN ART gallery has unveiled its latest acquisition – a painting purchased for £22,560. The Studio Interior by William Ratcliffe has undergone some minor conservation work and has now taken pride of place in Letchworth Museum and Art Gallery. Ratcliffe mov

AN ART gallery has unveiled its latest acquisition - a painting purchased for £22,560.

The Studio Interior by William Ratcliffe has undergone some minor conservation work and has now taken pride of place in Letchworth Museum and Art Gallery.

Ratcliffe moved to Letchworth GC in about 1906 where he designed postcards and calendars for the Garden City Press and had a solo exhibition in Letchworth Museum in 1954.

Painted in 1914, the oil painting depicts an early Garden City domestic interior with simple furniture, small-paned windows and whitewashed buildings with red roofs in the background.

The museum's curator Samantha Clarkson said: "This painting is a wonderful addition to our collection.

"Not only is it significant in terms of its place in art history, but it is an excellent record of the way early Garden City houses were decorated and furnished."

The painting was bought using contributions from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, the Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund, The Art Fund - the UK's leading independent art charity - and the Hertfordshire Heritage Fund.

North Hertfordshire District Council also contributed £1,500.