On an unevenly shaped green surface, white brush strokes delineate a ladder hung in the air from tall scaffolding. We see a little girl from behind, standing on one of the rungs. Her head is upturned as she assesses the climb ahead of her. The choice of title for this painting, Self-Portrait (1932, p. 6), comes as a surprise to the viewer. Maria Helena Vieira da Silva was twenty-four years old and had already painted herself as a young woman several times when she produced this portrayal of herself as a child between heaven and earth....