reading

Interiør med læsende kvinde ved vinduet

Carl Holsøe (Danish, unknown)

A woman sits by the window, absorbed in her book. Sunlight spills across the floor, casting soft shadows on the quiet interior. The stillness of the room contrasts with the unseen world beyond the glass—a moment suspended between solitude and the faint promise of something outside.
Reading in the park

Eugène Isabey (French, 1803–1886)

A woman sits absorbed in her book, sunlight dappling the pages through the trees. The park hums softly around her—rustling leaves, distant chatter—but she’s lost in another world, the quiet curve of her spine mirroring the relaxed bend of the branches overhead.
The Bookworm (circa 1851)

Carl Spitzweg (German, 1808–1885)

A hunched figure perches precariously on a ladder, utterly absorbed in his book. Towering shelves crammed with volumes surround him, their spines glowing in warm lamplight. One slippered foot dangles absentmindedly as he leans deeper into the pages, oblivious to the world beyond his literary cocoon.
Portrait of Vivian E. Dunton with Book (circa 1920)

William Herbert Dunton (American, 1878–1936)

A contemplative portrait of a woman absorbed in a book, radiating quiet elegance and subtle emotion.
Femme lisant dans un paysage (1898)

Henri Le Sidaner (French, 1862–1939)

A woman lost in a book, framed by dappled light and serene greenery, becomes one with the landscape.
Morning reading (1844-1889)

Hendrik Jacobus Scholten (Dutch, 1824–1907)

A serene scene of a figure engrossed in a book, bathed in gentle morning light, evoking quiet contemplation.
Old Woman Reading (1631)

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669)

A tender portrait of an elderly woman engrossed in a book, her face glowing against a shadowy backdrop.
Young Woman Reading (c 1880)

Osman Hamdi Bey (Turkish, 1842–1910)

A young woman lost in thought while reading, her expression caught between concentration and quiet yearning.