When exhibited in 1889, this portrait gained high praise for the way Gari Melchers expressed the personality of his good friend, Henriette Hitchcock. A reviewer for the Chicago Daily Tribune declared that the painting “excites the imagination by the strength, dignity and earnestness of the character so faithfully depicted… she stands easily and naturally, forgetful of herself, her thoughts fixed on something afar.” Subtle details, such as the delicate orange thread linking Hitchcock’s hand to her embroidery in progress, add to the complexity of the portrait.