Although little is known about her, it is believed that Kate Dolan was an actress and contemporary of the famed Shakespearean actress Dame Ellen Terry (see lot 1). Burne-Jones used a variety of young girls as inspiration for figures for his large works such as Arthur in Avalon and it is difficult to know exactly which work the present drawing is a study for. It clearly displays Burne-Jones's dramatic combination of charcoal and pastel to highlight his model's striking features. There is a full-length portrait by Millais that is believed to be of Miss Dolan (1886) in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York