How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
She was fairly beautiful to him—a faint pastel in an oval frame: he thought of her already as of some lurking image in a long gallery, the portrait of a small old-time princess of whom nothing was known but that she had died young. (6.2.5)
Again, Strether is struck by Jeanne de Vionnet's physical beauty. But there's still something about it that's almost too beautiful for him. It's more like staring at a photograph than an actual person. Jeanne looks so good in her youth that Strether has a hard time imagining that she'll ever grow old.
Quote #8
She was an obscure person, a muffled person one day, and a showy person, an uncovered person the next. (6.3.1)
Strether tends to size people up based on their appearances. But Madame de Vionnet is a tough case because her clothes seem to be different every time he runs into her. She's covered up one day, then showing some skin the next. This, combined with the fact that she's very cagey with her language, makes it really tough for Strether to pin her down.
Quote #9
Mrs. Newsome was much handsomer, and while Sarah inclined to the massive her mother had, at an age, still the girdle of a maid; also the latter's chin was rather short, than long, and her smile, by good fortune, much more, oh ever so much more, meaningfully vague. (8.2.2)
This is one of the very few descriptions we ever get of Mrs. Newsome, which tells us that even in her advanced years, the woman still has the waistline of a young girl. The rest of the description simply tells us that Sarah Pocock isn't very attractive physically, which matches up with her unattractive personality.