Born in Uruguay to a Spanish father and a French mother, Mora learned art from his father who had studied along with Fortuny at the Academy of Fine Arts in Barcelona. The family moved to the United States in 1880. Mora studied with Tarbell and Benson at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and at the Art Students League in New York. In 1896, Mora traveled to Spain. While visiting the Prado, he saw the Spanish masters that influenced his work throughout his life. Returning to the United States, he taught at the Chase School of Art and the Art Students League and produced drawings for major periodicals.

Seated Lady, 1902 exhibits a fashionably dressed lady sitting in a parlor room chair. The woman is dressed in white, which contrasts with the flowers and brim of the hat, hair, and the dark browns of the furniture in the room, and the gray wall behind her.