The Love Letter

The smallest of the three paintings depicts a scene glimpsed through a dark passage, stocked with household items, with a curtain drawn to the right. Unadorned in her brown and blue dress and apron, the maid stands next to her seated employer who wears a yellow, fur-lined jacket and dress nearly identical to those in Mistress and Maid. Interrupting her playing on the cittern, she holds a letter and turns with a quizzical look toward her maid. The slight smile on the maid's lips and the framed painting of a calm sea suggest that any concerns the mistress might have may be allayed.