Although better known for his views of Versailles and Saint-Cloud, Robert was a gifted portraitist, as evidenced by this tender depiction of his daughter Caroline reading. In its quiet contemplative mood and soft atmospheric tonal palette, Robert's rendering transposes the lexicon of contemporary French painting to the new medium. It is no surprise that the photograph recalls Corot's portraits of women reading, as the painter was also a member of the circle at Sèvres.
