In 1920's Berlin, the recovered diaries of transgender model Heike expose her as the mysterious muse and subject behind Christian Schad's best-known painting. After signing her Gender Recognition Certificate, a trans woman channels the offbeat glamour of a forgotten movie star at a Brighton gay bar. A well-known journalist finds herself under public scrutiny after taking a private BDSM game out onto the streets of Soho. Transfixed by the psychic power of monuments, an artist crowdfunds to build a tribute to victims of austerity, only to find himself the subject of a political backlash.

Taking us on a smart, funny, and deeply political ride through art, sex, and discovery, The Woman in the Portrait collects the short fiction of ground-breaking transgender writer Juliet Jacques. Showcasing both previously published and unpublished works, these stories offer an era-spanning tour through culture, politics, and community, presented with Jacques' trademark originality, insight, and humour.

Juliet Jacques is a writer and filmmaker based in London. She is the author of Front Lines (Cipher Press, 2023) Rayner Heppenstall: A Critical Study (Dalkey Archive, 2007), Trans: A Memoir (Verso, 2015), and Variations (Influx Press, 2021). Her landmark column on gender reassignment appeared in The Guardian, entitled ‘A Transgender Journey’ (2010-12) and she has written for London Review of Books, Granta, Sight & Sound, Frieze, Art Review, New York Times, and many more. Juliet was included on The Independent on Sunday Pink List of influential LGBT people in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.