RELIGIOUS
 
Esther
Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is they request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom… Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request… For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? of how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?
— Book of Esther, Chapters 5, 7 and 8

Esther, who becomes the queen of King Ahasuerus and delivers her people, is portrayed here by Marjorie Brigham Chapman, Taylor's niece. The gown she wears was made by the artist's wife by stitching together two Liberty Shawls; the shawls were favorites and appear in a number of other paintings.