A woman stands confidently at the center, facing forward with a slight smile, her right hand resting on her hip and her left hand holding a straw boater hat trimmed with a dark ribbon. She wears a crisp white skirt that falls to the floor, a pleated white blouse, and a dark tailored jacket with pronounced shoulders, fastened at the waist by a decorative belt. Her hair is neatly styled, and her face is brightly illuminated, drawing attention to her direct gaze and composed expression.

Behind her, a man stands in partial shadow, his figure set slightly to the left and receding into the background, his arms folded across his chest. He is dressed in a pale suit with a dark bow tie and sports a full beard and mustache, his face less defined by the light than the woman's. The background is a neutral, softly blended wash of gray and beige tones, with no indication of a specific setting, focusing attention on the figures themselves.

Broad, fluid brushstrokes define the clothing, especially in the white skirt, where the paint is applied in sweeping, luminous strokes that capture the play of light and shadow. The composition is vertical and elongated, emphasizing the upright posture of the woman and the elegant proportions of both figures. Mr. and Mrs.

I. N. Phelps Stokes was painted by John Singer Sargent in 1897 and depicts Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes and his wife, Edith Minturn Stokes.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art notes that the work entered its collection as a bequest from Edith Minturn Phelps Stokes in 1938.