Possibly a sketch for Dalou's figure of La Brodeuse (The Sewing Lady), a plaster of which was shown in the Salon of 1870. Its success was such that a marble was ordered by the State, but work was not begun until 1880, after Dalou's return from exile in England.

Aimé-Jules Dalou (1838-1902) was the son of a glove maker and initially trained in drawing at the Petit École in Paris. There he was encouraged to do sculpture. In 1854 he entered the École des Beaux-Arts, where he trained for four years. He was known for his left-wing political sympathies and was involved in the establishment of the Paris Commune in 1871. After his overthrow he was forced into exile in London, where he lived from 1871 until his return to Paris in 1879. In London he frequently exhibited at the Royal Academy and he was given a teaching appointment at the National Art Training School in South Kensington (later the Royal College of Art), where he had a profound effect on the development of British sculpture.