The Letter

Gari Melchers

National Gallery of Art

One of two pale-skinned women standing by a window reads a letter and smiles in this vertical painting. Both women wear white caps. The woman reading the letter is the younger of the pair, and she stands to our left. She holds the paper to catch the light coming from the window, which is mostly covered with a white and pink-checked curtain. Her body faces us, but she turns her smooth-cheeked face to the letter in her hands. Her eyebrows are lifted, and her closed lips curve in a faint smile. She wears a wide-sleeved, black shirt over a white garment and a long brown skirt. The other, older woman to our right stand with her body angled to our left. She holds another piece of paper in one hand and clasps that wrist with her other hand. Her head tips away from us and she gazes down, facing our left in profile. Lines on her cheeks suggest her age. She wears a brown and black apron over a butter yellow, long-sleeved shirt that buttons at the wrists. Her hands are clasped in front of a marine-blue skirt. A table between us and the second woman holds two bowls, one with a wooden utensil, and a skein of red yarn with a half-knitted sock or stocking. The drawer facing us is open. The window is set deep into the thick wall, and a picture of a bearded man with long hair glowing with a gold halo hangs on the inside surface of the window frame between the women. The wall is mottled peanut brown.