Composition

This is a study of the head of Cicely Henrietta Alexander, which is almost exactly the same as in the completed painting, Harmony in Grey and Green: Miss Cicely Alexander [YMSM 129].

Technique

The canvas is of fairly fine weave. The paint was applied with a square bristle brush, 12mm (½") wide. Broad, squidgy, vigorous brushstrokes were massed on top of each other and worked with brush, hand and palette knife. The background and hair were painted in tones of beige, white and grey, with touches of pink in her cheeks, mouth, and the tips of her ears. The girl's features were finished with drops of liquid paint for the eyes and a series of diagonal strokes for the mouth (which is unusual but quite effective).

The technique is similar to that used in the Study for the Head of Carlyle [YMSM 136].

Conservation History

Unfortunately the butterfly signature, added by Whistler after 1897, was partially removed during restoration at the Fogg Museum of Art in 1960. 1

The canvas has been both lined and strip-lined, and the stretcher replaced. The picture is rather dirty, soiled and spotty (2019) with uneven discoloured varnish. A small hole at centre left has been inpainted.

Frame

n/a