This is one of a group of small tempera paintings by Estella Canziani in the Birmingham Collection. They are particularly valuable in providing documentary information on the clothes and associated lifestyle of the local people living in remote villages in Northern Italy. This particular portrait is a rare portrayal of what Estella Canziani entitles as an " everyday working costume." [http://www.bmagic.org.uk/objects/1931P968.494] Estella Canziani, daughter of the English painter Louisa Starr and an Italian engineer, was an accomplished artist and fascinated by the traditional costumes, customs and folklore that were rapidly disappearing with the dawn of the 20th century. Her collection of artifacts, costumes, stories and legends together with the paintings and drawings she made are an invaluable record of the people of England, France and Italy amongst whom she lived. One hundred years after their first publication, the books of Estella Canziani are still in print and her illustrations are always sought after by collectors and historians. [http://www.bijouxregionaux.fr/en/contenu.php?idcontenu=69]