An uncommon and visually rich occupational carte-de-visite depicting a woman identified as a professional painter, posed formally in her studio setting. She is seated beside a standing easel holding a finished oval painting of cattle, while she herself holds a palette and brushes, clearly presenting her identity and practice as an artist rather than a casual amateur. The deliberate inclusion of tools, easel, and completed work places this firmly within the tradition of occupational portraiture, a genre in which female artists are notably scarce.

The composition is carefully constructed. The easel rises prominently at left, balancing the sitter and reinforcing her authority within the space. The cattle painting, pastoral and confidently rendered, signals both technical competence and commercial appeal, suggesting work intended for sale or commission. Her dress is sober and practical, consistent with mid- to late-19th-century representations of working women who wished to be taken seriously in professional roles traditionally dominated by men.

The verso is signed “D. L. Gurney, Wis.” in period script, and bears the imprint of S. L. Plumb, Portage, Wisconsin, situating the photograph within a regional Midwestern photographic context rather than the more commonly encountered eastern studio tradition. Occupational images of female painters from smaller towns are particularly elusive, making this an important document of women’s professional artistic labor outside major urban centers.

A rare and compelling image at the intersection of women’s history, American art, and 19th-century occupational photography.