Whistler discovered a relatively rapid and direct method of experimenting with color harmonies by using pastels, a kind of crayon made from pigments mixed with a binder. In this sketch, he utilized pastels to depict a female figures wrapped in swags of classical drapery and accented with floral elements, much like the young women in the unfinished Three Girls.
James McNeill Whistler
1885–87
Chalk and pastel on brown paper
F1905.129