La donna dell'emigrato, a work dated 1888 ̶ still imbued with the manner of Sanquirico in the broad and sketchy brushstroke and in the chromatism attentive to tonal contrasts ̶ is influenced by the factorial lesson both in the pose of the model, however made dynamic by the torsion of the torso and the position of the arms, both in the vigorous realism reserved for the hands and face. However, the protagonist of Pellizza does not belong to an elegant bourgeois context but is a commoner, saddened by the lack of a companion forced away for work, her face lashed with melancholy and resignation as she stares at the letter resting on her legs. The setting is absent, the neutral background played on the dark ranges isolates the character in absolute solitude, underlining the robust modeling and enhancing the bright blue, red and white colors of the dress as well as the bare geometry of the laid paper sheet, of marble consistency , supporting actor of the scene.