Weib und Tier belongs to a series of ten 'Inventions' which Klee created between 1903-1905 during a period of three years almost entirely devoted to printmaking. During this time the artist studied the prints in the Kupferstichkabinett in Munich and was particularly drawn to Goya's major series, Los Caprichos, Los Desastres de la Guerra, and Los Proverbios. The result was his 'Inventions' and of all his creative output to this date Klee regarded these etchings as his most successful venture. On their completion he immediately arranged for an exhibition and the series was hung together in the Munich Sezession exhibition of June 1906 to mixed critical acclaim ('no. 273a + Zehn Radierungen in einem Rahmen, D. E. Gordon, Modern Art Exhibitions 1900-1916, vol. II, p. 167) Gagliari wrote in the Berner Rundschau: 'It is very difficult to give any sort of clear picture of the crazy anatomy of these forms. Nothing like them appears even in one's wildest dreams'. (W. Grohmann, Paul Klee, Lund Humphries, London, p. 44).

Entry 580 in Klee's diary for December, 1904 reads: 'Manchmal dachte ich noch etwas an Blake. Dann aber ganzzurück zu mir, in Gottes Namen. Ich radierte die endgültige Fassung von ,Weib und Tier', den ,Monarchisten' und den neuen ,Perseus'. - Mit dem Drucken musste ich mich schwer gegulden, weil Max Girardet abwesend war, aber das Gefühl, dass es relativ entscheidende Arbeiten waren, täuschte hoffentlich dann nicht.' (E. W. Kornfeld, Verzeichnis des graphischen Werkes von Paul Klee, Bern, 1963, no. 13)