A seated woman in a full, light-colored dress is depicted reading outdoors, her head resting on her hand as she bends over an open book. The composition places her in partial sunlight, with the warm tones of her dress and the stone ledge contrasting against the darker, densely foliaged background. The artist employs careful modeling of light and shadow, particularly on the folds of her dress and the illuminated pages, emphasizing the quiet concentration of the sitter.

Details such as the cameo at her collar and the patterned shawl draped across her lap are rendered with precision, contributing to the intimate and contemplative mood of the scene. Woman Reading (Portrait of Sofia Kramskaya) was painted by Ivan Kramskoi after 1866 using oil on canvas, and measures 64.5 by 56 centimeters. The work is held in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery (inventory 11085) and is recognized as a portrait genre painting from the 1860s. Portraits of women engaged in solitary, intellectual activity were a recurring subject in Russian art of this period, reflecting broader cultural interests in education and private life.