From 1870, Mulready was associated with the Cranbrook Colony of artists, living, from 1871, at Waterloo Place, next door to F D Hardy. He returned to London in 1874.Hamish J Lemmens. How the 19th century Cranbrook Colony were influenced... by the 17th century Dutch Genre Masters (1995). Being much younger than other members of the colony, he had little in common with them, and his art reflected on social issues of the day, particularly on the poverty experienced by children their struggle with adult problems - no over-sentimental rural or domestic scenes by him are known. He often depicted London street scenes with urchins and poor flower-sellers, such as 'A Day's Reckoning' and 'Sounds of Revelry', shown in 1886 at the Hanover Gallery,The Era, 4.12.1886. and 'A Flower Girl in a Red Shawl' and 'A Newspaper Boy Selling Papers' displayed at Walker's Gallery in Liverpool in 1887.Liverpool Mercury, 4.05.1887.
