Ada and Beatrice Beattie were the sisters of William Beattie, a
musician, singer, actor and writer, and one of Lambert’s closest
friends in Sydney at the turn of the century. Beattie was best
man at Lambert’s wedding. He contributed to the Australian
Magazine (1899) and wrote a tribute to Lambert in the Lambert
memorial number of Art in Australia (Lambert 1930). Lambert drew
this pencil portrait of Ada Beattie when she was lying in bed
with the flu, while he discussed amateur theatricals with her.
Lambert’s remarkable ability as a draughtsman was recognised
early on. In 1897 the Sydney Daily Telegraph critic remarked of
one of Lambert’s pencil drawings that ‘Few men in Australia …
can do more with a pencil than he’ (Sayers 1989, p.126). In this
drawing he used his pencil expressively to capture the cosy
warmth of Ada Beattie’s wrap, contrasting these energetic lines
with the brief outlines with which he hinted at the pillows and
bedlinen. Likewise, he drew her hair using a dark pencil and her
facial features