Red Hair Girl, of Robin Hood’s Bay was painted in Ethel Walker’s studio at Whitegate Cottage, Robin Hood’s Bay. She rented the property for several years before purchasing it sometime around 1915, and paid regular visits there for the purpose of painting the local scenery and people. This painting depicts a young girl, her left hand raised to touch her cheek and her gaze averted as if lost in thought. As with all Walker’s portrayals of female sitters, the characterisation is sensitive and evocative. Her light, sleeveless clothing implies that the painting was made in summer.

Light floods into the room from a window to the right-hand side. At the picture’s upper right-hand corner, the inside edge of the window nook and an arrangement of red flowers are illuminated in full daylight. By contrast, apart from highlights on the girl’s face and clothing, the rest of the painting is evoked in richly colourful half tones. The white dress is splintered with blue, yellow and purple; the flesh tones are similarly vivid and pulchritudinous. Even as she introduced non-naturalistic colours wet-on-wet, Walker successfully integrated them and sustained a naturalistic image free from distortion or exaggeration.

This work was in the artist’s studio at the time of her death. An inscription on the reverse of the canvas—UP57—was made by one of Walker’s executors, presumably Arthur Upton.