François Joseph Kinsoen was a noted portrait painter, and gained numerous commissions from the courts of Europe in the early nineteenth century. Under the influence of François Gérard, Kinsoen made many portraits of elegant women during his career. In the portrait the rather natural pose and rustic background create a relaxed tone to this otherwise formal portrait. The sitter wears a Kashmir shawl with Paisley design, coral jewellery and holds a Peacock-feather fan. These items illustrate that she was not only a lady of fashion but also of wealth. The early nineteenth century saw a great trend for the exotic and particularly Indian designs, such as those seen in the shawl. Luxurious cloths and patterns which early European colonialists brought back from India were a must-have for rich and stylish ladies in the 1810s and 1820s.