Study of an Italian Boy was painted in Paris at some time between 1897 and 1900, according to a note on the verso written by Harold Wright (1885-1961), possibly with information from Whistler's sister-in-law, Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958).

Study of an Italian Boy, The Hunterian

The technique and colouring help to confirm a date in the late 1890s.