A large number of drawings in white chalk on brown paper were made at the end of the 1860s. These may have been part of a projected illustrated volume of William Morris's The Life and Death of Jason, which was abandoned. It would appear that a large effort was made for the project and many of the designs were subsequently used for independent works, as yet few preliminary sketches have come to light which makes it difficult to accurately identify these subjects. Flying figures are referenced in a list of subjects to be made for the Jason story in a sketch book held in the Fitzwilliam Museum. The present drawing relates to the figure of Night painted for Frederick Craven in 1870 included here (Private Collection).