Marguerite Kelsey (born 1909, died 1995) is a professional artist’s model of the 1920s and 30s. Kelsey first began posing at the age of 15, in 1924 and was renowned for her gracefulness and ability to hold poses for a long length of time. She was painted by many of the leading artists of the pre-war period, including Alan Beeton and Meredith Frampton.

Frampton’s stunning and elegant portrait of Kelsey is part of the Tate Gallery’s collection, and how I came to first know Kelsey. The white dress and red shoes were chosen by the artist for the model. Classic but deliberately modern, the look embodied the fashionable garçonne style created by couturiers Coco Chanel and Jean Patou from the mid-1920s.