Paul Watkins used an extraordinary amount of imagery in his novel. He most commonly used imagery when describing the land of Paris, the people he interacted with, and events that took place in the streets where he dwelled. The imagery of the novel helped the readers to see exactly what the author wanted them to see, directly through his eyes. Imagery was most important when discussing each painting, considering they had a beauty of their own that was very unique.

One excellent example of how Watkins used imagery to describe people can be found in the passage describing Marie-Claire de Boinville:

Her features were fine, her nose aquiline and dignified. The dark and narrow chevrons of her eyebrows stood out against her cedar blonde hair. She had kept the beauty of her much younger years and she knew she was still beautiful... Her clothes were dark and conservative...