The White Dress (Portrait of Jean), 1904 (oil paint on canvas)

he depiction of an elegantly attired young woman relaxing in sumptuous surroundings was a theme which Fergusson addressed at this time. It shows traits of earlier works as in the low tonal key used and in the stillife study of the vase. The shock of green in the sitter's shawl and the fascinmation of women in hats herald new directions in which fergusson would take his art. The sitter was Jean Maconochie. The majority of Fergusson's early sitters were drawn from his family circle or from his friends. Jean was one such friend. Documentary evidence in the Archive alludes to a deeper romantic relationship between Ferguson and Maconochie, beyond their professional relationship as artist and model.