The broad brushwork and tilting lines capture the awkwardness of the child's first steps. In just a few brushstrokes, Smith conveys the child's concentration, dabs of paint indicating the fingers outstretched for balance.

Smith is one of the group of artists known as the 'Kitchen Sink' painters, the Angry Young Men of the 1950s who deliberately chose raw domestic and working class themes in defiance of the 'highbrow' approach to art.