Technique

Painted on fine canvas with medium, 6-7 mm (¼"), sized brushes, the paint slightly thicker than usual, and the face highly worked to an even, matt finish. Around her hair and eyes, and on her dress, the surface modelling is done with thinner washes of paint, like delicate varnishes of colour. The details of the face – eyes and nose – are painted with a smaller brush, but are dominated by the confident, dramatic brushstroke that defines the line of her eyebrow and fringe. The colour is vibrant, with touches of red – a red ribbon in Miss Woakes's dark hair, against the deep red background – plus the loosely painted pale pinks and greens of her dress.

In 1895 Whistler wrote about certain works which should have been destroyed, or touched up, 'there are canvases that may be saved ... and perhaps one day the little Woak[e]s.' 1

For all his implied criticism of the painting, it is one of the most solidly modelled and finely coloured of his portraits, and the vigour and warmth of the girl's face is directly appealing.

Conservation History

In 1893, the painting was given to Dr Woakes unvarnished, the intention being that it would be varnished a year or so later when Whistler advised it. 2

A 1954 conservation report gives details of the removal of the earlier lining canvas and cheesecloth backing of the original canvas, and of discoloured and cracked varnish and repainting. Cracks and chipping along the cracks were infilled and losses inpainted, the canvas was restretched and resurfaced. 3

Photographs show no further changes in the painting.

Frame

Unknown.