Ernst Georg Fischer developed an interest in narrative genre scenes during his studies in Dresden and Antwerp. Here, Fischer sets the scene in an artist’s studio – an important point of sale for painters before commercial galleries and exhibition venues began to proliferate late in the 19th century. His gently mocking image of an unmarriageable lady flattered by her portrait reminds viewers that every portrait was in fact a transaction between artist and patron, a rather fine line for an artist to walk.