In this elegant portrait of his niece, Gertrude Salaman, Solomon reveals the skill which made him such a renowned portrait painter. Gertrude's delicately painted features and gauzy draperies contrast with her solid, thrusting pose, though her playful gaze and artfully held fan may be a sign of her familiarity with the painter or of her confidence in her own beauty.

Born in 1860 in London, Solomon J. Solomon became only the second Jewish painter to be elected a Royal Academician. He studied at the Royal Academy and the École de Beaux Arts, Paris, was a founder member of the New English Art Club, the Society of Portrait Painters and The Maccabeans (later the Jewish Education Aid Society) and President of the Ben Uri (1924–1926). Celebrated for his historical and biblical compositions, as well as his portraiture, Solomon was also a pioneer of camouflage techniques.