Although Warhol was unhappy with his appearance throughout his life, self-portraiture was a recurring theme in his oeuvre. Role-playing was a central aspect of many of his self-portraits and his Polaroid camera was an effective means of quickly documenting his changing personae. In this work he is remarkably subdued (in comparison with his ‘Self-Portrait with Fright Wig’ for example), wearing a sombre dark suit and tie; his renowned blonde wig is conservatively styled. With his head resting on his hand he stares into space seemingly bored and disinterested. This work was made a year before Warhol’s death in 1987.