The 6.7-by-8-centimeter (2.6 by 3.1 in) painting is set in a case;[4] it had originally been installed on a paper backing which had the date "1828" on the reverse.[5] The work is a watercolor painting on ivory,[1] thin enough for light to shine through and thus allow the depicted breasts to "glow".[2] This medium was common for American miniatures,[7] but in this case also served as a simile for the flesh presented upon it.[3]