Mozier drew this subject from Sir Walter Scott’s sixteenth-century novel The Monastery, set in the Protestant Reformation. The White Lady’s spirit watches over the protagonist’s family and guards their Bible in a protective flame. British literature—particularly with historical themes—was popular in Victorian America, and many sculptors were inspired by its combination of narrative and sentiment. As did many of his contemporaries, Mozier set up his studio in Italy for better access to marble within a milieu of carving traditions dating back to the early Roman era.