Klara Klimt, born in 1860, was the oldest of Gustav Klimt’s (1862–1918) six siblings and shared an apartment with her brother and her sister Hermine until Gustav’s death. She herself died in 1937. This early work, which the artist painted when he was studying at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts, shows his sister aged around 20 and portrayed in a still very naturalistic style. Soon after this painting was created Gustav and Ernst Klimt founded the Künstler-Compagnie together with Franz Matsch. The painting is now owned by a Klimt descendant and is publicly exhibited at the Leopold Museum as a permanent loan.