For Day 16 of Side by Side, I drew the Empress. On the left, Doña Francisca Benicia Carillo de Vallejo rests on a carved wooden seat below orange trees in her orchard. Her gown, as red as a pomegranate, loosely drapes her ample body. Her lush vineyards stretch to the edge of the forest on the horizon. Harvest from her gardens fill the cornucopia at her feet. Her hat and her chair are decorated with stars, and a light veil cascades around her shoulders. On the right, a blonde woman sits upon a luxurious couch amidst a field of wheat, a verdant forest and waterfall behind her. She holds a scepter and wears a starry crown; the shield of Venus rests at her feet. Her loose gown is patterned with pomegranates.
