This charcoal drawing of Ethel Waters is representative of Beauford’s efforts during his New York years to move away from simply capturing likeness in portraits. Along with sketching paid customers and his friends, Beauford would depict prominent figures in the African-American community that he admired. This portrait of Ethel Waters is one of the few where the subject is represented smiling. The loose, gestural quality of the charcoal paired with her smiling and beaming face symbolizes how Beauford viewed Ethel’s role in his life: a jazz singer whose voice and talents could lift his spirits during the darkest of days.