This is some 65 mm shorter than called for in Hollyer’s 1904 catalogue, but there is no sign that it has been trimmed, and as it had earlier been in a made-to-measure frame there would have been no reason to trim it before framing.
Hollyer, a print-maker and engraver, as well as a photographer, collaborated with members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood to develop large-scale photographic prints as a better artistic alternative to engravings. Some of his platinotypes are almost indistinguishable from drawings. In the platinotype process, which Hollyer perfected but did not invent, the paper is impregnated (not coated per the usual practice) with light-sensitive compounds of iron. After exposure through a negative, a fine layer of platinum is deposited on the exposed areas by means of a chemical reaction.
One version of the painting is now in the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, where given by Watts himself.
In fine condition.
