Walt Kuhn's portrait of a showgirl offers psychological insight into the backstage life of the performer, evoking the tension between the sitter's private mood and her public role. The artist, who staged and directed vaudeville shows, often portrayed individuals he knew personally. Here, Kuhn uses direct paint application, a frontal viewpoint, and flattened forms on a dark background to bring the young woman forward. Adorned with gaudy makeup and voluminous ostrich feathers, this showgirl seems at once unselfconscious and weary, perhaps resigned to being the object of attention. Accustomed to an entertainer’s life though she may be, the woman’s despondent expression betrays her vulnerability.