Although Narjot is best known for his scenes of the Gold Rush and life in early California, he was also active as a portraitist, and several portraits of children in outdoor settings are known. The subject of this painting remains unidentified. Her dark hair and pierced ears suggest that the child was probably Hispanic, and her informal dress suggests this is a family portrait rather than a commissioned work. Her age and the painting’s date preclude her being one of the artist’s own daughters, however. Narjot often included a dog in his portraits of children.
