Born in Manhattan in 1904, Paul Cadmus received his first instruction in the fine arts from his parents who were both professional artists. At fifteen, he enrolled for classes at the National Academy of Design before becoming a commercial illustrator. By 1931, he had saved enough money to travel to Europe—where he embarked on a bicycle tour of France and Spain with his lover, the painter Jared French. At the end of their trip, Cadmus settled for two years on the island of Mallorca but returned to the United States two years later. Cadmus’ 1934 painting The Fleet’s In! for the Public Works of Art Project earned him instant notoriety after it was ejected from the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s exhibition. In 1937, Cadmus had his first one-man show at New York’s Midtown galleries and in 1940 discovered the traditional Renaissance medium of egg yolk tempera which he utilized in the present work. The model in the present work has been identified as Jon (Farquhar) Anderson (1937-2018), a former cabaret star. Cadmus and Anderson met and began a relationship in 1965 that lasted until Cadmus' death in 1999. Throughout their 35 year long relationship, Anderson served as Cadmus' model and muse. Cadmus uses the inscription 'NM' in his signature to stand for 'Nantucket Man' and is a reference to Nantucket, Massachusetts where the couple met.