The subject here-a man who raises livestock and happens to be a captain as well-is one in a long line of Parisian characters that Gavarni chronicled in his career. This sheet once belonged to the collection of the artist's watercolors made for the important Parisian publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel. Composed of about 200 sheets executed mostly in 1859-60, Hetzel's collection was a rare ensemble of the artist's best work in the medium.