James Tissot (French, Nantes 1836–1902 Chenecey-Buillon), Orphan, ca. 1879. Etching on laid paper; sheet: 22 1/16 x 12 1/16 in. (56.1 x 30.7 cm) plate: 22 x 11 5/16 in. (55.9 x 28.7 cm). The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1965. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 65.594.1 © 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Tissot used printmaking as a means of disseminating his painted compositions, in this case one that he exhibited in London in 1879. The etching shows his companion from that decade, Kathleen Newton, and her daughter acting parts in a rather morbid drama. This and a group of trial proofs are the only known impressions, and the painting is now lost. We do not know why Tissot abandoned the plate, but a burnishing of the child's head in one impression suggests he may not have been content with the way the figure had been etched.

This work is exhibited in the "Unfinished: Thoughts Left Invisible" exhibition, on view through September 4th, 2016. #MetBreuer