Anne Estelle Rice was an American artist who moved to Paris in 1906. She worked as an illustrator for a Philadelphia magazine but was also a distinguished painter. Fergusson met her in the summer of 1906, before moving to Paris, and subsequently contributed illustrations to the same magazine. The two became close friends. The contrast between the bright colours and bold outlines of this painting and the Whistlerian tones of 'Dieppe, 14 July 1905: Night' (also in the Gallery's collection) shows just how much Fergusson's work had developed in three years. This was due to his contact with French avant-garde artists.