The uncanny for Freud is a psychological feeling towards something that we perceive as unknown and mysterious but at the same time intimate and belonging to our inner selves. With this portrait I wanted to create a character, Amaryllis, that was both unseen and familiar. Taking inspiration from Freud’s condensation process, I created the hat by unifying the design of French napoleonic uniforms, Ottoman hats and Medieval Europe headgear. I wanted the references from the past to be so many that the viewer could no longer recognize each of them, being left with a sense of uncanny.