At the end of the nineteenth century, many Nordic artists painted convalescents, often pale-faced women reclining against a pillow. Eva Bonnier resided in Paris when she painted this ageing woman in her bed, with a young girl by her side, reading aloud from a book. In this genre scene, Bonnier has applied the principles of plein air painting to an indoor subject. The reflections of the sunlight are the central elements of the composition, spreading throughout the entire room as strokes and spots in different nuances of blue.