Although Knight was a student of Meissonier and Gleyre in Paris, the clear inspiration is Bouguereau. Knight exhibited at the Paris Salon where he won a gold medal the year before he painted this exquisite portrait and the same year he won a silver medal. Perhaps the straight-on presentation and twinkle in the eye are American attributes the artist brought to this canvas. He was popular, and remains so today, for other lovely if a bit saccharine portrayals of country maidens among flowers and along river banks - none that we have seen equal to the power or beauty of the present example. This Knight and an oil by H. J. Y. King come from the same American collection.