This drawing appears to be that listed by Graves under the year 1840 as 'An Old Woman in a large Cloak seated, with a Young Girl standing beside her' and as having been etched by Prince Albert in 1843, though no such etching can be found. Graves adds that the drawing was one of six etched by Queen Victoria (four) and Prince Albert in 1841-3 which were 'in a sketch book used during the Artist's tour and remained in the book until after his death, when they were cut out for the purpose of sale'. Landseer had suffered a nervous breakdown and set off in August 1840 with his friend Jacob Bell to Belgium, up the Rhine by way of Cologne, and Geneva, returning via Paris. Most of his drawings on this tour were of peasants or animals (see R.Ormond, J.Rishel and R.Hamlyn, Sir Edwin Landseer, exhibition catalogue, Philadelphia Museum of Art and Tate Gallery, October 1981 - April 1982, p.10). Even if this drawing was not engraved it probably dates from this tour