Technique

The drawing has a silvery quality, rippling lines of drapery contrasting with the soft blurr of shading. Whistler used three different techniques for the three areas of the drawing - face, robe and shadow. Both the point and side of the charcoal was used, drawn and rubbed to provide variety.

Conservation History

The paper is similar to that in A girl carrying a bowl on her head [M.1371]; it is a little shiny, brown of a slightly grey tone, with tiny gold flecks of wood-stalk and small fibres, and a fine vertical grain that catches the charcoal lines effectively.