UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

This was conceived as an etching, but it was considerably refined by patches of drypoint shading and cross-hatching and then more etched shading, which gradually over many states became soft, velvety deep shadows as some lines broke down. The children were sketched with broken, hooked and wriggly lines, suggesting movement, while the background figures barely emerge from patches of shading.

There may have been a print-run of about twenty impressions. Whistler himself retained proofs of several states (, , , , , , ). One impression inscribed '1st. State.' was printed in black ink on cream laid paper () and another, with a similar inscription, in dark brown ink on similar paper (). At least half the impressions are in the seventh state (i.e. , , ) with only one known impression of the final, eigth state ().

Several impressions were printed in dark brown ink on laid papers: ivory (, ); with Pro Patria watermark (, ); and light-weight cream paper (). One was printed in dark brown ink () and another in black ink () on laid paper with the Arms of Amsterdam watermark.

Several are in black ink, printed on ivory laid (); opaque ivory laid, a simile 'chine' (); ivory laid, watermarked 'GR' (); cream laid (); and on buff Japanese paper ().

All are trimmed to the platemark and signed on a tab with Whistler's butterfly and 'imp.' to show that he had printed them.