In 1633, Judith Leyster was the first woman to join a Dutch painters’ guild – the St Lucas Guild, Haarlem’s guild of painters. This was unprecedented in a society that was dominated by men. Leyster’s loose brushwork is reminiscent of Frans Hals’ style. She may have been employed by Frans Hals as an assistant for a while around 1630. This portrait was long thought to have been by Hals, until Judith Leyster’s signature was rediscovered: JL with a star. It’s on the chair, in the bottom right corner.