Teal Dress by the Window — Alfred Stevens | Art Postcard

She looks straight back at the viewer, chin resting on both clasped hands — a still pose that feels unusually candid. Her dress is teal silk with peach-pink puffed sleeves and a lace jabot at the throat; pink and orange roses sit close by on the table, and a yellow wall panel behind her is painted with irises. Through the window, a snowy Parisian street holds the pale afternoon light.

• 10×15 cm

Among Stevens' portraits, this is the one that meets you eye to eye rather than looking elsewhere — worth sending to someone you want looking back at you.