[1] Millet was a leader of the Barbizon school, which emphasized realism, and is noted for his scenes of peasant farmers and for reinvigorating the genre of landscape painting.

The shepherdess in this painting is wearing the linen hood and white cloak that were typical of the peasant women in communities of north-central France such as Barbizon.

[3] There are many other similar paintings by Millet depicting a shepherdess who is knitting, though they are not duplicates.

[4][5][6][7][8] Before painting the two duplicates, Millet composed a preparatory drawing, which is now located at the National Gallery of Scotland.

[9] According to that gallery, "Millet’s paintings of shepherdesses were greatly admired, and inspired Vincent van Gogh to pay homage to Millet in his own work.