The painting must have been done c.early 30s of the 20th century while Amrita Sher-Gil was still a student of Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts. In 1930, Sher-Gil painted a portrait of friend and fellow student Boris Tazlilsky. The last name has been variously spelt by different scholars. It could quite possible be that Madam Tachlitzky was related to Sher-Gil's friend, Boris Tachlitzky. During this early phase Sher-Gil adopted a certain realism in her portrayal and was excited about the handling of paint and building up the surface with pigment.