The work is in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.[1] The lady in the painting is shown writing a letter while sitting at a table in a room.

She appears to have been interrupted, as she has turned her head away from the letter to look towards the viewer, while she continues to hold the quill in her right hand.

[1] The painting of which only a part is shown in the picture depicts a large string instrument, possibly a double bass.

[2] Many of the objects seen in the painting, such as the woman's coat, the cloth on the table, and the string of pearls, also appear in other Vermeer works.

It has often been suggested that in his paintings, Vermeer sought to depict in his models that which he could not give to his wife and family: calm and affluence.