Mrs. Claxton and her son William embrace as Mrs. Claxton looks up from her reading. Such an informal depiction is enlivened by the qualities of light, from the hard glint of her brooch and the chair back, to the differing softness of taffeta, velvet and lace. Carpenter exhibited talent early in life. By the time this painting was made, she was the most important female portraitist in Britain, renowned for her technique. She exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy until 1866. Her husband, William Carpenter, was Keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum. Their great-nephew was the California artist Percy Gray.