Breton woman with a towel (recto) ; Study of cows (verso)

This sketch, drawn from life, pays particular attention to a Breton woman in a traditional headdress, going about her daily activities. This woman, holding a dishcloth, is undoubtedly one of the preparatory drawings for the Breton Washerwomen of 1893. In this now-lost painting, one could see, standing behind the trees, a woman washing her sheets in the river. She seems to correspond, in both gestures and clothing, to the drawing now held at the Pont-Aven Museum. The second face on the sheet from the artist's sketchbook can also be linked to the breastfeeding woman in the lower right corner of the painting, whose head, bent towards the child, bears similarities to the portrait sketch.