A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom she attended. Although she may either have received a retainer or may not have received compensation for the service she rendered, a lady-in-waiting was considered more of a secretary, courtier, or companion to her mistress than a servant.
Princess Tatiana Alexandrovna Yusupova, a lady-in-waiting of the Imperial Court of Russia
Tang Dynasty court ladies on A Palace Concert painting
Marie Louise of Savoy-Carignan, Princesse de Lamballe was chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Marie Antoinette of France
Walking behind Queen Elizabeth II on a visit to Toronto in 2010 are two of her ladies-in-waiting: Lady Hussey (left) and Lady Farnham (right)
A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly dependents, and other household errands. The term "'domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service".
Domestic workers in the United States in 1914
Memorial valuing the work of Maria Home, the servant in Warwick Castle (1834)
A Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) Chinese ceramic figurine of a lady's maid in a standard formal pose with hands covered by long sleeve cuffs in the traditional fashion
Cook (1855)