Composition

This portrait undoubtedly represents Leyland, and in a pose very similar to the completed portrait (Arrangement in Black: Portrait of F. R. Leyland [YMSM 097]) but with his right hand higher up on his waist, and with less shirt-front visible. The background is totally different, with a dark floor and dado, and a light coloured wall.

Technique

Judging from the photograph, it was painted very thinly indeed, and possibly partly rubbed down. However, there are some clearly defined brushstrokes clarifying the head, shirt, and the cloak over his arm. The butterfly in its roundel may not have been added by Whistler, and it is possible the sketch was touched up by another hand.

Conservation History

Unknown.

Frame

Unknown.