Beulah Murphy was the owner of Mrs. Murphy’s Kitchen, a well-known health food restaurant in Halifax. She started the restaurant after she was diagnosed with cancer. Though physically small and frail-looking, she was nonetheless a strong, inspirational figure, running a successful business, and helping and advising others. Mrs. Murphy also provided a place to meet and to learn about cooking, and her “kitchen” became a rallying point for members of the Macrobiotic East group, of which Mrs. Murphy was co-founder (with Suzanne Marquardt). Robert’s portrait is of an unlikely hero, posed on a bright winter day in Victoria Park, a block away from the restaurant. The image has ominous elements, showing a solitary figure largely in shadow walking along a narrow path, bordered by leafless trees which throw a confusing array of net-like shadows on the ground.