This edition is illustrated with abstract paintings of Abraham McDonald, specially designed for this edition.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 "affronts her destiny" and finds it overwhelming. She inherits a large amount of money and subsequently becomes the victim of Machiavellian scheming by two American expatriates.