This is a three-quarter view of a seated female. She poses against a drab gray-black background painted with visible brush strokes. The model’s legs are crossed and she rests her head on her right hand. Two fingers curl down, and the other three are obscured by her face. Her right elbow is propped on her knee, and her left arm lays relaxed on her lap, hand on the same knee supporting her elbow. She is smiling enough to show her teeth. The subject is wearing a blue dress with a high collar, a wide-pleated skirt, and some embellishment at the throat. The gown has puffy, elbow-length sleeves and is styled with a pinafore. Some gray mixed in with the blue gives the suggestion of a satin damask. Miss Sally is wearing a large, wide-brimmed hat with pinkish flowers and netting on the front, and what looks to be a necklace. Her face is half in shadow, the light positioned to accent her arms and part of her face. This painting was in the 1918 gallery dedication.
Ralph Clarkson showed a portrait titled “Miss Sallie” in the Art Institute’s annual exhibit of American Oil Paintings and Sculpture (October 20 – November 29 1908). A few months later, Clarkson’s “Miss Sally” was part of the Thirteenth Annual Exhibition of the Society of Western Artists, which took place at the Art Institute of Chicago from January 5 to January 24, 1909.