Christen Købke turned to portraiture as a source of income. His first clients, however, were relatives, who were not used to paying. Among the first portraits the artist produced in the autumn of 1833 was this one of his cousin’s wife, Adolphine Emelie Petersen. Recent cleaning of the work revealed once again one of the subtle devices Købke employed, the lace at the shoulder of the dress, arranged in a delicate but effective relief.