The style of Vasily Tropinin’s portraits is that of sentimentalism. The artist portrayed his models in the prime of life seeking to show their beauty and demonstrate moral virtues. He usually chose home environment for his models where a person would feel most comfortable and hence, look natural and relaxed.

Tropinin painted the portrait of Pelageya Sapozhnikova in 1826 in a period of his creative upsurge. Sapozhnikova (maiden name, Rostovtseva) originally came from the merchant class, but at the time the portrait was made, she already was a member of nobility in the first generation.
The painting composition is simple. The female character sits serenely with her elbow leaning against a small table. She looks natural, uninhibited, and self-controlled. The figure is elegant and dignified. The painter depicted Sapozhnikova in a velvet dress of deep green color adorned with transparent lace. The woman wears a pearl necklace with an emerald insert and acorn-shaped emerald ear rings. Her hair arranged in locks is decorated by lacy ribbons. 

This portrait is characteristic of Tropinin’s style of the 1820s and 1830s: a saturated color palette, free manner of painting, and a lyrical image of the female character.

The painter’s original intent was to exhibit the portrait together with that of Sapozhnikova’s spouse, merchant of the first guild Alexander Sapozhnikov. The Sapozhnikovs were well-established Astrakhan traders and owners of a fishing business. The family was very well off, which enabled them to gather a rich art collection. Among other things, their collection contained the famous canvas by Leonardo da Vinci Madonna of the Flower, which Leonty and Maria Benois (maiden name, Sapozhnikova) donated to the Hermitage Museum in 1914.