Portrait of a big Englishman may date from 1860. 1

The sculptor Charles L. Drouet (1836-1908) told the Pennells in 1900 that Whistler painted the portrait of 'a big Englishman who was copying a picture of Angelica Kauffmann's in the Louvre', but Drouet did not know what became of it. 2

Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807) was a popular artist, much copied in the 19th century. La baronne de Krüdener, et son fils Paul was acquired by the Louvre in 1860: if this was the painting being copied, then Whistler's portrait may date from the same year.