Named for a 1666 portrait by Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring is the title of a 1999 novel by Tracy Chevalier. Combining fact and fiction, Chevalier tells the story of Griet, a 16-year-old girl hired as a maid by the Vermeer family. Several of Vermeer's paintings are woven into the story, with The Milkmaid becoming Tanneke, the family's cook, and A Lady Writing and The Concert being painted during Griet's stay with the family. After adding color-mixing to her duties and introducing her to the camera obscura, Vermeer finally elects to paint his maid. Chevalier imagines the situation and events surrounding the creation of the portrait, and - after borrowing Catharina Vermeer's jewelry - Griet becomes the title character.