Pastoret, although of the upper class, is shown as a wife and mother without display of finery. The politics of the day called for homely virtues to be emphasized and any display of rank or status would have been considered suspect. The work was not finished, from the incomplete quickly brushed shimmering background to the absence of a sewing needle in Madame’s hand. (http://books0977.tumblr.com/post/144894370142/portrait-of-madame-ad%C3%A9laide-pastoret)