Jessie Arms Botke was born in 1883 in Chicago and attended the Art Institute of Chicago on a four year scholarship where she studied with John Johanson, Charles Woodbury and Albert Herter. She exhibited at the Institute frequently between the years 1916 and 1926, winning prizes in 1917, 1918, 1919 and 1926. Botke was fascinated by the anatomy, plumage and beauty of birds and focused primarily on oil paintings of these subjects. Although less celebrated, she also painted a number of landscapes and still lifes. In this painting, as in many others of the style, Botke augments the oil paint with the application of gold leaf to vitalize the background.