In Self-Portrait with Candles (aka A Portrait of the Painter), the artist successfully negotiates her Jewish, artistic and politically radical identities. She shows herself in modest dress and with her head covered, holding the two Shabbat candles which are traditionally kindled by the woman of the house in religiously observant Jewish households about twenty minutes before sundown to mark the formal beginning of the Sabbath on Friday evening, but she looks out confidently, engaging the eyes of the viewer. The work combines her interest in portraiture and interiors, and is influenced by her admiration for Rembrandt, particularly in the use of light and shadow. It also shows her characteristic use of a limited palette of white, cobalt blue and rose or orange madder.

A contemporary reviewer of the painting, S.M.S. in the Jewish Chronicle (25 Oct 1895, p. 18) wrote: 'A very strong piece of work for a lady is Mrs. Lily Delissa Joseph's Portrait of the Painter, in which she is represented holding two just extinguished candles. There is a suggestion of Lady Macbeth about the picture, which, as a whole, does not flatter its painter'. A future edition of the Jewish Chronicle (13 Dec 1895, p. 16) noted however, that Sir Walter Besant in The Queen magazine had 'devoted considerable space' to the painting and 'a highly appreciative description'. The work was subsequently shown at the Paris Salon in 1929, where it was awarded a silver medal, and posthumously in a joint exhibition with the artist's brother, Solomon J Solomon, at Ben Uri Gallery in 1946. It was presented by the artist's niece, Gertrude (the second Mrs. Radcliffe Solomon) in 1946.