This drawing belongs to a group of studies that Gwen John made of Dorothy McNeill (known variously as Dorelia and Dodo), when they were together on a walking trip to Rome. They set sail from England in August 1903, arriving in Bordeaux, from where they walked as far as Toulouse but no further. They had arrived in Toulouse by the end of November and remained there until the end of February 1904, during which time they 'subsisted mainly on a diet of old bread, new cheese and middle-aged figs' (Holroyd 1995, p. 147). The chief reason for staying there so long was apparently in order for Gwen John to complete five paintings she was working on, 'at least four of which were portraits of Dorelia' (Holroyd 1995, p. 147): 'Dorelia by Lamplight, at Toulouse' (ex. coll. Paul Mellon); 'The Student' (Manchester Art Gallery); 'Dorelia in a Black Dress' (Tate); and 'Portrait of Dorelia' (private collection) (see Langdale 1987, cat. nos. 10–13). No fewer than five other drawings of Dorelia survive from this period. Four are head-and-shoulder portraits, while one is a half-length study. This is apparently the only three-quarter length study of Dorelia standing.