A contemporary of Margaret Olley and Margaret Cilento, Betty Quelhurst contributed to the development of art in Queensland both through own her practice and as a teacher. Her studies at Brisbane’s Central Technical College (1935–39) laid the foundations for her appreciation of drawing and design. Following service in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War Two, Quelhurst taught at the College before enrolling at the National Gallery School, Melbourne (1947–50). While there, she was awarded the Hugh Ramsay Portrait Prize and the Sara Levi Prize for the most outstanding student. Quelhurst subsequently travelled to Europe, studying briefly at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and visiting galleries in Paris, London, Rome and Madrid before returning to Brisbane in 1953.  

Painted two years after Quelhurt’s European sojourn, this painting is a fine example of the everyday scenes she was drawn to, demonstrating her preference for workaday buildings in the suburbs over Brisbane’s more formal architecture. At this time, Quelhurt resumed teaching at the Central Technical College, and Breakfast Creek was one of the locations she chose for her sketching classes.