© Emmanuel Levy estate

Painted during the 1930s when the Great Depression left many people on both sides of the Atlantic, particularly in industrial areas, impoverished, even destitute, Levy’s careworn young woman clasps her hands together against the chill of the cold winter’s day. Her vivid red turban introduces a note of warmth to an otherwise dominant blue palette. The terraced houses and bare street winding away behind her probably portray a local setting in Manchester, where Levy was raised and was living at the time. The portrait was included in the 'Annual Exhibition of Works by Jewish Artists' at the Ben Uri in 1935.