The painting was likely produced during Zinkeisen’s tenure as a nursing auxiliary at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington during the Second World War. After her shifts, she used a disused operating theatre as a studio to record hospital scenes, air-raid victims and war injuries.

The flat application of paint on the subject’s face creates an unnaturally smooth, almost plastic surface, suggesting something mannequin-like. The subject's averted gaze and the deep background lend the work a subdued atmosphere.

This uncanny plasticity may hint at emotional detachment, as though the self is partially obscured behind a polished exterior. Although her expression implies feeling, it remains difficult to read, perhaps echoing the composure expected of medical staff working under extreme wartime pressure.