Woman reading a letter (Woman in Blue Reading a Letter)

Johannes Vermeer completed this intimate scene around 1662-1665, showing a woman absorbed in reading a letter. She stands in profile wearing a blue jacket, her face illuminated by soft light from an unseen window. Behind her hangs a large map of the Netherlands, and chairs bracket the composition on either side. The moment feels utterly private, as if we've glimpsed something not meant for our eyes.

The woman's body suggests she may be pregnant, a detail that has sparked centuries of interpretation. Vincent van Gogh wrote admiringly of the "beautiful pregnant Dutch lady" in this painting. If she is expecting, the letter likely comes from her absent husband, perhaps a sailor or merchant whose travels are symbolized by the map. The blue of her jacket, made from precious ultramarine pigment, indicates wealth and status.

This was the first Vermeer acquired by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, purchased in 1885. The museum now holds four Vermeers, but this remains among the most beloved. The painting captures something essential about Vermeer's art: the transformation of ordinary domestic moments into scenes of profound emotional depth.