In the immediate post-war period, serious artists in England and Canada created opportunities to promote and sell their art by banding together in small groups.In March 1918 Christchurch-born Archibald (Archie) Nicoll (1886 - 1953) lost a leg and was discharged from the Army.  While working at the Wellington Technical School, he helped set up the Society of Seven, which included fellow returned soldier Nugent Welch, and Pumpkin Cottage stalwarts Fred Sedgwick, A.A. Bender, William Tiller, James McDonald, Edwin Murray Fuller, and E.G. Hood.  Between 1919 and 1921 the Society of Seven held three exhibitions of their work, with Silverstream a popular subject.