Isaac Israels was especially a painter of life in the big city. Paris, around 1900, the cultural capital of Europe, played a major role in his life. Seeking beauty in day-to-day reality was Israels’ mission and he became an expert in capturing an essence by a few broad brushstrokes. Our painting is a climax of Israels’ ripe impressionist style. We see a young lady reading a book on a bench in the shade of the trees on one of the broad lanes of the big city park Bois de Boulogne. The broad brushstrokes, combined with a subtle use of colours, are characteristic for Israels’ Parisian work. His ostensibly nonchalant style contributes to the relaxed atmosphere of a day in the park.