Aman-Jean, a French Symbolist painter, was likely more concerned with evoking a wistful, meditative mood in this painting of an unidentified woman than with defining a specific personality or likeness. The restrained, tonal palette and flat, decorative shapes suggest the influence of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes and James McNeill Whistler. The postcard pinned to the wall may represent a work by Sandro Botticelli. Aman-Jean exhibited this painting at the Paris Salon of 1891.