The Portrait of a Lady Illustratted

The Portrait of a Lady is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly and Macmillan's Magazine in 1880-81 and then as a book in 1881.

It is one of James's most popular long novels and is regarded by critics as one of his finest.The Portrait of a Lady is the story of a spirited young American woman, Isabel Archer, who, "confronting her destiny",finds it overwhelming.

She inherits a large amount of money and subsequently becomes the victim of Machiavellian scheming by two American expatriates.