A frontal pencil portrait of a young woman — the most finely drawn of the pencil portrait series, with a delicacy and attention to surface that distinguishes it from the bolder ink work. The face is seen nearly full-frontal, slightly tilted, with large calm eyes that look directly outward and a mouth closed in a neutral expression of complete self-possession.
The defining element — and the technical achievement of the work — is the braided hair. A single thick braid falls from the right side of the head, rendered with exceptional specificity: the individual strands crossing over each other in the interlocking pattern of a plait, the braid thick and heavy-looking, descending past the shoulder. This braid is drawn with a care that goes beyond technical observation into something more like affection — Sidney looked at this braid the way he looked at the dancer's bun in 840, understanding it as both structure and character.
The turtleneck or high collar below the face adds a note of casual warmth. The face above it is drawn with light, discriminating pressure — the shadows around the eyes, the slight modeling of the cheek — building form without heaviness.
The paper shows slight aging at the corners, and horizontal marks at the top edge suggest this was stored or framed with something pressing against it. The signed "Sidney T. Cothran" at lower left gives the work its formal status.
Who this person is — whether family, friend, student, or model — is unknown. But Sidney drew this braid with unmistakable care.