This work is likely a study, perhaps begun in the field, for the Walters portrait of a Nez Perce Indian (CR# 298A). Here, Miller focused on capturing his sitter’s profile and his most prominent attributes—a nose ring and exaggerated earrings. Miller outlined the figure’s shoulders and chest with quick brushstrokes, but did not fully realize the lowest quadrant of the composition. Also unresolved is the subject’s right hand, visible in the lower left corner. It appears as though the artist sketched the hand, erased it, and then redrew it.
