This is a later example of one of Cézanne’s many self-portraits, produced more than twenty years after his etching of Guillaumin (also in the collection). Cézanne’s earlier self-portraits are often enigmatic, aiming to further his own reputation as an artistic radical. By the 1890s, his fame was well established and his selfportraits become more restrained and introspective. Here, his attire is more formal than the bohemian tunics of his earlier selfportraits, indicating his position within bourgeois society by this time. By including his easel, Cézanne proudly demonstrates his working process like many artists before him.