The dark palette and formal dress, typical of high-Edwardian portraiture, suggest this painting was probably carried out while Gertler was studying under Philip Wilson Steer at the Slade School of Art. Sophie, one of Gertler’s favourite family models, appears frequently in his work until 1915 when he abandoned the East End for Hampstead. Gertler was born in London in 1891, but the family was repatriated to Austria the following year, enduring great poverty and only returning to London in 1896. Gertler studied briefly at the Regent Street Polytechnic then became the first Jewish, working-class student of his generation to attend the Slade. His family, particularly his much-loved mother, inspired many portraits, but after 1913, profoundly influenced by Post-Impressionism, he simplified and intensified his vision.