Technique

Little Nude, Freer Gallery of Art

Thomas Robert Way (1861-1913) described Whistler reworking this pastel:

'My father used to have hanging in his office, a pastel of a little nude figure ... One day Whistler had it out of its frame, and borrowing my pocket-box of pastels he spent nearly the whole of a day in retouching it, and raised the key of its tone amazingly, adding the red background it now has.' 1