This watercolor has the graceful figural style and use of thin wash over graphite sketch that is frequently seen in the sketches Miller prepared for Sir William Drummond Stewart in 1837 – 1839. Its stylistic similarity to paintings of this time period, together with its simple composition, small size, unevenly cut edges, and surface wear raise the possibility that it was a sketch executed in the field. The thick, opaque watercolor used to depict the blades of grass in the foreground is more typical of the watercolors in the Walters commission and may represent a later addition. Miller has also used a layer of gum Arabic in the figure’s hair to give it the glossy sheen of hair oil that he observed Indians use. This technique is also present in depictions of hair in some of the Stewart sketches, such as CR# 415, Interior of an Indian Lodge at the Beinecke.
In terms of its composition, this version is closer to the finished Walters sketch than the version at the Gilcrease. The central grouping of mother and child is nearly the same, and it includes a cropped rendering of the child seated behind the woman.
