Citing literary influences such as Oscar Wilde and Gustave Flaubert, Peyton shares their absorption with reflecting a social milieu. She portrays artists and musicians of her own generation including Matthew Barney, Jake Chapman, and Angus Fairhurst, Jarvis Cocker and Liam Gallagher. The American artist also pays tribute to iconic figures who have inspired her, including the young Elizabeth II, Georgia O’ Keefe and Frida Kahlo.

This survey of some 70 paintings also includes depictions of historical figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Ludwig II and Eugène Delacroix. In their modest scale, tightly cropped composition and sense of intimacy, Peyton’s works directly relate to photography, as testified by the book "Portrait of an artist", published by Damiani, which contains photographic portraits of the artist's friends and collegues.