Born and bred in Leith, Fergusson is said to have briefly trained as a naval surgeon before deciding to become an artist. Around 1893 he enrolled at the Trustees' Academy in Edinburgh, but, like many of his contemporaries, was disappointed with its teaching and left. Without any further formal art training he set up a studio in Edinburgh, and from 1895 made frequent trips to Paris. He moved there in 1907, around the time he made this self-portrait, and became involved in the Parisian art scene. Although black and white, the boldly outlined form and startling presence of this self-portrait is highly characteristic of Fergusson’s style.