A miniature watercolour portrait of a woman, head and shoulders; her head turned to the left; with striking auburn hair; against a plain dark background. Initials, lower right. 

This miniature watercolour was painted for Queen Mary's Dolls' House, which was built between 1921 and 1924 for Queen Mary, consort of King George V, by the leading British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. Princess Marie Louise, who was a cousin of George V's and a childhood friend of Queen Mary's, came up with the concept of the Dolls' House, as Queen Mary loved all things diminutive and decorative. Princess Marie Louise worked closely with Lutyens to realise the project, which includes contributions from over 1,500 of the finest artists, craftsmen and manufacturers of the early twentieth century. In 1922 Princess Marie Louise wrote personally to individual artists to invite them to contribute a work on paper to the collection for the Dolls' House Library. She stipulated that the size of the works should be 1½ by 1 inch (3.8 x 2.5 cm).