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From a young age Lilian Westcott was determined to be a professional artist, and her marriage in 1902 to fellow artist Philip Hale did not deter her success. In The Convalescent, painted only months after she completed her formal studies, Hale depicted Rose Zeffler, a favorite model whom she subsequently featured in a series of drawings. Here, Zeffler—known as Zeffy—is shown curled up in bed, swaddled in blankets so that only her head and the outline of her body are visible. This canvas’s color palette, radical foreshortening, and skewed perspective demonstrates the artist’s interest in both Japanese prints and the paintings of Claude Monet.Lilian Westcott HaleAmerican1881Hartford, CT1963St. Paul, MN The Convalescent1906Oil on canvas30 3/16 × 22Nebraska Art Association, Beatrice D. Rohman FundN-329.1974