William Logsdail trained as an artist in Antwerp and had a successful career painting portraits and landscapes, working in London, Venice, Cairo and Antwerp. When she gave the Gallery this painting in 1951, May Logsdail wrote to the curator about the experience of sitting for the portrait: 'The dress was a bit of a teaser, well, the skirt was, for the least movement altered the folds … he said I must do it in one sitting. I went up one morning at ten, the maid brought wine and biscuits at one and held the tray for me. Will never stopped painting. At about three I said “Have you finished?” he gave one look at my face, dropped his brushes and came to my aid as I fainted … Please think of what I endured when you look at this picture.'