She leaves her shoulder slightly leaning to the left. This subtle sitting position implies that women like Mrs. Williston, learning from time and experience, understand well how and when to behave properly and elegantly. .
Contrary to the sedentary position of Mrs. Williston, the painter of Miss Kelly presents a more dynamic and lively moment for an upper class young lady. She stands against a carefully composed background, which tells a story as opposed to the plain background of Emily Graves Williston. A band of warm color for the sunset glow creates a horizontal composition line, separating the murky sky from the dark green forests. Her slender body, like a vertical composition line, divides the background in the middle. On her right side, trees are close under the wild freedom of the brushstrokes, while trees get smaller on her left side in reference to the traditional law of perspective. The painter intentionally constructs this background for the narrative. The young lady is turning her back to us, but only for one moment. Maybe in the next second, she will dart into the deep forests and we will lose her beauty forever. .
The painter for Emily Graves Williston uses very few colors to indicate the beauty of humbleness. The relatively lighter gray in the background brings us to the central area to observe her attire closely. Her clothes are modestly simple. The stark contrast created by her black outerwear and white inner blouse grasps our attention. At the end of the contrast, our eyes stop at the medal button, which is the one and only one decoration in her dressing. The gloss and volume of the button reflects a sense of decent dignity. The white blurring brushstrokes near the neckline create the texture of transparent but expensive yarn. Additionally, the texture of the black fur shawl implies her wealth. Nevertheless, the black shawl merging with the black coat is hardly observed without close examination.