Thomas Wilmer Dewing captured the actress Gertrude McNeill as an ethereal beauty in an abstract space, anchored only by her delicate Windsor-style chair. She gazes directly out to the viewer, the shape of her fan echoing the long train of her dress. The simple setting and strong diagonals of the composition show Dewing’s admiration for Japanese prints, while the harmonies of silver, gold, and blue-green recall the limited color palettes of his friend, artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834–1903). The grilled texture of the original wirework frame strategically reflects ambient light, adding to the soft glow of the painting.