The painted background represents an Adelaide scene, either real or imagined. The artist has painted it as if seen looking south from a point somewhere near the entrance to the zoo and the University footbridge. On the left is a row of military-style tents, the flared muzzle of a cannon and three rifles propped up together. In the middle distance behind the lady are two groups of soldiers (volunteers?) holding up their rifles. In the distance on the high ground can be seen Scots Church at the corner of Pulteney Street and North Terrace, while to the left of it are the twin domes of the Congregational Church which once stood on a corner of Currie Street on the eastern side of Hindmarsh Square.

What was the connection, if any, between the lady and the scene on the background. A South Australian Florence Nightingale? What activity is represented on the painted background?