Miss Thea Proctor

Thea Proctor was an important figure in George W Lambert's life. Both friend and great admirer of his work, she was a prominent Australian painter, printmaker and teacher with whom he later jointly established the Contemporary Art Group. They had both returned to Australia in 1921 after two decades in England. Proctor had been a daily visitor to his home in London, and posed regularly for his portraits.

Lambert's charming early portrait of his friend revealed his admiration for leading society portrait painters of the day, in particular Charles Furse. This was Lambert's first painting to be exhibited at London's Royal Academy in 1904, where it was prominently hung.