This tender portrait by Laura Muntz Lyall conveys a quiet, introspective mood, rendered with the soft luminosity and emotional sensitivity for which she is admired. Titled Auburn, the work focuses on the profile of a young girl, her long auburn hair cascading in loose waves against a subtly modelled, atmospheric background.

Muntz Lyall builds the form with delicate washes and gentle touches of pigment, letting warm tones bloom across the cheek and forehead, while cooler greens and deep blue-black fabrics anchor the lower portion of the composition. The lighting feels diffused and poetic, almost as though the figure is caught in a moment of stillness at dusk.

True to her hallmark approach, the artist emphasises mood over strict detail: the brushwork in the hair is expressive yet controlled, and the background dissolves into abstract passages, placing all emotional weight on the young sitter’s thoughtful, slightly downturned gaze. Signed and dated 1900, the piece beautifully exemplifies Muntz Lyall’s empathetic attention to children and her mastery of soft, impressionistic portraiture.