Portrait of Dorelia McNeill, (later to become Mrs Augustus John), standing in a plain wallpapered interior before a table, her right hand gripping the back of a wooden chair at her side. She wears a simple long-sleeved dress of a pale fabric with a dark check. It has a round collar, small buttons to the waist, and a dark waist tie.Two large, slightly dog-eared books sit on the table edge. The title of the top volume is visibly 'La Russie'. She holds a third book loosely in her left hand at her side. A black garment lies on the table top next to the books. The warm light, falling from the right, casts a large shadow against the wall behind her.