In around 1934 Henry Moore began to develop an artistic interest in the different visual possibilities in representing the family unit. The specific gestures and the body language belonging to the behaviour of this group dynamic deeply intrigued Moore. His interest for portraying the nuclear family became more accentuated between 1934 and 1938, and was strengthened by the artist’s biographical events.

Before the beginning of the Second World War, the artist was commissioned to realise a sculpture for the Impington Village College. This school, located near Cambridge, was designed by Walter Gropius and Maxwell Fry as an environment connecting parents and children through their education, which acted as a point of reference for the local community. Due to the college’s focus on all members of the family and the philosophy of life-long education it was therefore natural that Moore’s inspiration also stemmed from this relationship, and the artist started working towards a ‘family group’ sculpture.

With the beginning of the war, the urgency of the commission subsided and a sculpture was never realised for the college. Nevertheless, Moore remained focused on the topic of the 'family group', and continued sketching and drawing ‘family groups’ throughout the war. After the end of the war, Moore had a clear idea of the figurative elements and anatomical postures he wanted to include in the preparatory maquette - realised in clay - which would later lead to the creation of the bronze cast 'family groups', and of large-scale sculptures as well - an outcome Moore himself hadn’t considered when he was working on the initial sketches.

Draped Reclining Figure, an edition of nine and two artist's proofs, was both conceived and realised in 1956, produced by the Fiorini Foundry in London. It is an exceptional example of how Moore was able to bring the reclining posture of the body together with the classical element of the drapery. During the Second World War, Moore observed and drew Londoners sheltering from bomb raids in the repurposed tunnels of the Underground, and it was during this period that Moore started to include drapery in his visual compositions. Moore's first visit to Greece in 1951 further developed his fascination with this compositional element, inspired by the classical sculptures and representation of draped figures. After this trip, Moore learnt how to employ drapery to give more importance, distinction and gravitas to the anatomy and physiognomy of the figures he was portraying. In 1954 he stated, "Drapery can emphasise the tension in a figure, for where the form pushes outwards ... it can be pulled tight across the form (almost like a bandage), and by contrast with the crumpled slackness of the drapery which lies between the salient points, the pressure from inside is intensified." (Quoted in Wilkinson, 2002, p.280).