A German artist's portrait of an Ambleside chemist has been acquired by a museum.

The Armitt, in Ambleside, is now in possession of Kurt Schwitters' portrait of John Mackereth, after the combined museum, gallery, and library venue purchased Schwitters' piece at auction.

The piece was purchased with support from the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant fund, the Art Fund, and private donors.

Schwitters was born in Hanover and began his career (as a painter, sculptor, collagist, graphic designer, and poet) in mainland Europe, inspired by Surrealism, Dada, and Der Stijl.

He fled Nazi persecution in 1937, and after being freed from a UK internment camp in 1941, he lived in London and then spent the last two and a half years of his life in Ambleside.

Schwitters often painted to pay bills and settle debts, and created Mackereth's portrait in exchange for clothing from the Mackereth family's haberdashery.

The Mackereths, however, reportedly chose a different landscape painting - of the foot of Helm Crag - to settle the debt.

Manager & curator for The Armitt, Faye Morrissey, said: "It’s fantastic to be able to announce that The Armitt has been successful in acquiring another artwork by Kurt Schwitters.

"We are pleased to add this portrait to the collection so that we can continue to present Schwitters’ story in the area as well as highlight local people and their activities in Ambleside.

"What is more, the portrait is a fabulous example of Schwitters’ reuse of materials as there is a glazed newspaper collage on the reverse, carefully retained by the previous owners."

The portrait will be on display from November at The Armitt, as part of an exhibition of several portraits of Ambleside residents in the 1940s.

The artwork will be available to view until mid-December.