Woman writing a letter

Ter Borch's Woman Writing a Letter from around 1655 depicts an activity that was a favorite subject of Dutch genre painters precisely because it combined intimate domestic observation with the suggestion of emotional narrative—letters implied relationships, desires, and separations that the painting itself did not need to specify. Ter Borch's version, like his Suitor's Visit and other social interaction scenes, cultivates an atmosphere of emotional reticence where the full story is implied rather than shown. The woman's absorbed concentration on her writing, the quality of light on her dress and the writing table, and the attendant maid's presence all contribute to an image of cultivated feminine life at its most refined. Jan Vermeer, who was deeply influenced by Ter Borch, returned to the subject of women reading and writing letters throughout his own career, acknowledging his debt to ter Borch's pioneering treatment of these subjects.

The absorbed concentration of the writing figure creates an intimate, contemplative mood. Ter Borch's rendering of the satin dress—with its luminous, shifting highlights—is a tour de force of fabric painting that demonstrates his unrivaled technical mastery.