Conservation record photograph: before treatment. The disfiguring brown spot stains in the upper right quadrant of the image are known as ‘foxing’. They occur as a result of impurities in the paper or acidic material in the backboard migrating into the support. Foxing is chemically complex, but usually requires either metallic impurities or fungal activity to initiate the reaction.

Rah Fizelle
born Australia 1891 died Australia 1964
Europe 1916–19, 1927–30, 1960–61

Study of a woman  1938–39 (detail)
watercolour and pencil on paper
75.2 x 55.8 cm image
75.2 x 55.8 cm sheet

Collection of the National Gallery of Australia