Technique

Chelsea Shop, Art Institute of Chicago

Figures were drawn with grey paint, and some were then washed out, or merely not coloured in, and obscured by a faint wash of cream over all. The little girl at the bottom of the steps has virtually disappeared. The woman was added after the door and the doorstep is visible through her skirt. White paint was used on the child in her sister's arms on the left, to suprimpose her on the darker dress. Darker splashes of brown and grey, and brightly coloured details, appear vivid against the pale background. 1

Conservation History

The paper is cream, browned where it has not been painted. It has a slight wriggly horizontal grain.