This early self-portrait shows Peploe when he was about twenty-nine. It is typical of his early figure painting in his free handling of the paint and ability to capture facial expressions with minimal brushstrokes. Peploe was extremely interested in Old Master painting, visiting Holland in 1895 and returning with reproductions of works by Rembrandt and Frans Hals. In Edinburgh, in the Scottish National Gallery, Peploe had close to hand Hals’ portraits of ‘A Dutch Lady’ and ‘A Dutch Gentleman’. Peploe’s paintings, such as this self-portrait, relate strongly to Hals’ free use of paint and vigorous characterisation of his sitters.