When Elizabeth suffered the shame of being contaminated with syphilis, contracted through sexual intercourse with her unfaithful husband, she accused him of adultery and immediately requested a divorce.

In the fascinating figure of Gertrude Elizabeth Blood, a woman who courageously denounced the hypocrisy and duplicity of the Victorian society, Boldini identified a prototype of female emancipation.

Her wealth is also reiterated by the elegance of her sumptuous black satin dress, very swirling, adorned with a delicate bouquet of roses at the generous neckline.

[3] As in most of Boldini's portraits, the painting gives the impression of an electrifying dynamism, also obtained with the use of an impalpable, vaporous, almost airy pictorial texture, where it can be noticed, the luministic fabric of the black dress, crossed by several reflections.

The color is instead deposited on the pictorial surface with rapid and vibrant brushstrokes, which in addition to outlining the woman's physiognomy (slightly off-center to the left), contribute to enhance it with a light and delicate background.