A profile portrait in which the hair's curl and movement are the primary visual event. The woman is seen from the left, her face in pure profile, her hair swept forward and then curling back in a series of overlapping waves — some tight curls at the left foreground, some looser sweeping waves further back. The hair is described as a continuous flowing form rather than individual strands, the pencil following the hair's overall movement rather than its detail.
The profile itself — the nose, the upper lip's distinctive shape, the chin — is drawn with a sureness that suggests Sidney knew this face or observed it for a sustained period. The eye is indicated by a brief shadow at the socket rather than described directly. The ear is visible at the back of the profile.
The hair's forward curl — the portion that hangs in front of the face and creates the most dramatic shape — is the compositional focus: it frames the profile, creates depth between the foreground curl and the background waves, and gives the portrait its formal energy.
The cream paper — lighter than usual, cooler — gives the pencil marks a crispness that emphasizes the portrait's linear quality.
This is one of a group of profile portraits in which the hair is the primary formal subject. Compared to the long-hair portrait (951), this one has more movement and less geometric severity.