An aquatint of Blackwall Reach depicting the industry of the area. Historically, Blackwall Reach industry included shipbuilding and repair, and ironworks. Trees and cranes visible in the foreground of the image frame the predominately white, clear water of the Thames, with a suggestion of industry along the shoreline with the portrayal of active smokestacks. Signed by artist.

Norman Janes (1892-1980) was a British Artist and Honorary Secretary of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers between 1945 and 1962. Janes attended the Slade School of Fine Arts, the Central School of Art and Crafts, and the Royal College of Art. His teachers included Henry Tonks, William Palmer Robins, Sir Frank Short and Malcolm Osborne.