Technique

There is no evidence of any priming on the wooden panel. 1 It is painted very thinly – one might say 'tinted' – with a small brush on a dark grey undercoat. There are tiny vivid touches of colour – green, brown and red, cobalt blue and naples yellow – streaked over the window on the right, and oranges in the greengrocer's shop on the left.

The original varnish has the fine-scale crazing and yellowed appearance that is typical of a temporary egg white varnish that was never removed. If Whistler applied an egg white varnish, it could have been for exhibition in the 1880s. Two later paintings, Old Clothes Shop, Houndsditch [YMSM 371] and The Little Forge, Lyme Regis [YMSM 442] appear to have the same fine-grained crazed appearance.

Conservation History

The panel has an auxiliary backing and a framing device both made from mahogany-type hardwood, the support panel having bevelled edges on the verso, plus adhered 4mm thin battens, which have mitred corners. Stuck on this support panel is a label giving the title and address of Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958). This suggests that this form of auxiliary backing was done after Whistler's death, for exhibition in the 1905 memorial exhibition.

There are minor paint losses at the edge. There is a fine network of cracks in the varnish, which has a hazy appearance, over the whole surface, following the grain of the wood. It also has a second varnish that was applied within a frame that covered some of the right edge. It could have been applied to disguise the crazing in the varnish beneath. Otherwise the panel is in sound condition. 2

Frame

37.3 x 46.3 x 7.2 cm.