This monumental portrait of the artist’s wife was painted in the early years of their marriage. It conveys her strength of character, showing her as a striking beauty, looking out from under the brim of her hat with a steely gaze. Sarah Kramer was born into a traditional Jewish family in Leeds in 1900. She often modelled for her brother, the artist Jacob Kramer, and through him she met William Roberts, whom she married in 1922. Roberts painted her on numerous occasions over the next 50 years and she often posed for figures in his compositions as well as featuring in portraits. Another portrait of her, painted in 1965, belongs to the Gallery.