Two young women sit together in an interior setting. One is reading, the other appears daydreaming, lost in reverie, or captivated by the way the reader is engrossed in her book. To the right of the scene is a vase of flowers placed on a carpet: these elements, depicted with precision and skill, are in contrast with the simple, austere decor from which the dark silhouettes of the two figures, naturally lit from above, stand out. The key to this artwork lies in its contradictions: darkness and light, the bare wall and the details of the carpet, one sitter in profile and the other forward-facing, austerity and wealth.

Although these two women are engaged in an activity together and are united by the composition, they seem detached from one another. Time stands still in an allusion to the complexity of human relationships, something often hinted at in Fantin-Latour's portraits. As is often the case, members of his family were his favourite models and can be recognized in his paintings: his sister-in-law Charlotte Dubourg sits on the left of the composition.

This work contains a clear reference to 17th century Dutch interior scenes such as those by Vermeer, which had recently been rediscovered at the time – it is every bit as motionless and silent.