Composition

A nude with red hair, The Hunterian

There are traces of a butterfly touched with turquoise above and to left of the final one. This, and the curved back of the sofa, may belong to an earlier drawing, dating from the same date as the recto of r.: A nude pulling a black robe over her head; v.: Cockerel [M.1382]. The earlier drawing was mostly rubbed out, but left otherwise unexplained traces of colour, including pink drapery to left of the figure and at the bottom left corner, pale turquoise across her thigh, and up her left side, and across her left arm, and round the head.

Technique

For the final drawing Whistler used disjointed outlines, and short straight strokes. The sturdy body is accentuated by using the round end of the pastel for highlights. There are two outlines to her chin, and to her shoulders, the right shoulder having been lowered, the left raised. The drawing appears to go off the edge at left and has possibly been trimmed.

A black pastel, much blacker than the outlines used on the figure, which looks like charcoal, was employed around the figure and below the sofa at right. The artist used the side of the pastel, then smudged it with a finger to soften the effect. In several places orange was carefully drawn over the first black sketch and produced a curious composite colour.

The mark 'o' is possibly a sign of appreciation added by Whistler or his wife, Beatrice Philip (Mrs E. W. Godwin, Mrs J. McN. Whistler) (1857-1896).

Conservation History

The drawing appears to go off the edge at left and has possibly been trimmed. The paper has small fibres, tiny bits of wood-stalk, and little texture. An old frame has marked the paper and rubbed the right edge.