Portrait of Rachel Dunn 

Agnes Goodsir painted this portrait of Rachel Dunn, whose enigmatic expression invites speculation. Goodsir, an Australian artist who spent much of her career in Paris, lived a life that challenged early 20th-century social norms, including maintaining long-term relationships with women. During this period, the conventional roles and representations of women were being questioned and renegotiated, both in life and in art. While the subject of this portrait is dressed in the fashion of the time, there's an unidealized directness in her gaze that transcends mere social portraiture. Consider how women artists navigated a male-dominated art world. Goodsir's choice of subject and her aesthetic decisions reflect the evolving identities of women. This painting functions as more than just a depiction of an individual; it provides an insight into the changing roles and self-perceptions of women in a rapidly modernizing world, viewed through the personal lens of the artist.