Portrait of a Woman Sewing

American 19th Century

National Gallery of Art

This is a grayscale photograph of an older woman seated on a chair, facing us. She appears to be sewing a piece of gingham fabric that is spread over her lap, with one of her hands on the fabric and the other raised up, holding the end of a long white string. The woman has curly dark hair that appears to be pulled back behind her head, pale skin, and round eyes. She is looking at us with her mouth open in a wide smile. She is wearing a high-collared dark dress with long sleeves. In the background behind her there are several horizontal lines that look like wooden fencing in front of a clear sky, with two leafy trees on either side of her.