The Love Letter is the name of this painting by Auguste Toulmouche (1829-1890). It's certainly very beautifully painted and I'm sure we all love her outfit, and the tablecloth, and the curtain, and the wallpaper... But what exactly is going on here? Is she the recipient of the letter, which seems to have come as a shock, and perhaps not a pleasant one? Or has she read someone else's letter? Who knows. Toulmouche seems to have specialised in painting ladies in beautiful dresses -- Emile Zola apparently called them 'Toulmouche's delicious dolls'.
