The painting appeared in a caricature by Stock of two of Cézanne's paintings (the other was the portrait of Emperaire, FWN423) that were rejected in the 1870 Salon. The painting was described in detail by the Danish critic Karl Madsen in 1889 in an exhibition catalogue [see exhibition list], although the canvas was not shown "in due respect to Copenhagen's state of absolute innocence. It is neither a particularly attractive nor a particularly good picture, and its absence cannot be described as a loss. The elderly woman displays the sad ruins of her charms stretched on a dazzling white sheet, one hand grasping a folded fan; cloth of a dull vermillion is draped over a chair; in a corner on the black wall hangs a small picture.... The color of the figure is reminiscent of the dregs of a bad claret.... The painting is remarkable only in its brushwork, which with its violent energy and arough swirling contour seeks to give the impression of the greatness and force of a master hand...." (quoted in Rewald, 1996, pp/ 119–20)
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