Brickdale studied at the Crystal Palace School of Art and at the Royal Academy Schools. Her studio at 11 Holland Park Road was almost opposite Leighton House, and she was influenced in her work by the Pre-Raphaelites and the early Italians, visiting Italy frequently. After her death in March 1945, The Times wrote that 'It was the allegorical side of Pre-Raphaelitism that Miss Fortescue-Brickdale inherited, and her work was distinguished by brilliance of colour and great fidelity to detail'.
The present drawing encapsulates that interest in allegory, depicting a young woman seated beside a blooming rose bush admiring her reflection in a mirror, whilst an attendant beside her holds a powder puff and a mask, with puppets at her feet.