In the Spring depicts the millinery department at Wanamakers, a former department store in downtown Philadelphia. Sparhawk-Jones composed the picture from a vivid palette and an application of loose brushstrokes. This creates the sense of a moment that’s quickly passing by, and evokes the experience of shopping.

          Department stores were a relatively new phenomenon when the artist executed this painting. Offering a wide selection of readymade goods in different sections, the stores were symbolic of industrialization and growing consumerism. But they also helped lay the groundwork for the rights of middle-class women: while in-store they were allowed to walk unchaperoned. This was unheard of during a time when it was largely illegal for women to enter public spaces without a male escort.