Norman Carter painted a striking and flamboyant full-length portrait of friend and fellow artist Florence Rodway. It was exhibited at the Royal Art Society of NSW, won a bronze medal in the Paris Salon in 1913, and was exhibited at London’s Royal Academy in 1914. The portrait then disappeared from view. 

In 1962, Carter presented a three-quarter length portrait of Rodway to the Library. Identical in colour and pose to his full-length study, this smaller canvas shows clear signs of having been cut down on two sides. Why Carter chose to reduce a much lauded, prize-winning portrait to this size, is not known.