Moreau le jeune was an important draftsman, printmaker, and book illustrator who was championed by the celebrated French writers of the 19th century Edmond (1822-1896) and Jules (1830-1870) de Goncourt, who also owned this drawing (the collector's stamp bearing their name can be seen in the lower left corner of the sheet). The drawing may represent a relative of the 18th-century French poet Louis Gresset (1709-1777). A portrait drawing by Moreau le jeune of Gresset-now at the Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame-has many similarities to this one.