Jules Bastien-Lepage often painted the peasants of his home town of Damvillers in north-eastern France. Here a young girl, the 'little wild girl' of the title, patiently and quietly guards a cow. Bastien-Lepage makes the girl seem isolated, so very alone in the barren, winter landscape – she is dwarfed by the tall thistle and the leafless tree. There is also a feeling of sadness from her haunting eyes and the way she pulls her rags around her as if for warmth.

Bastien-Lepage often exhibited his paintings in Britain where they were both popular and successful. The Glasgow Boys – Guthrie, Lavery and Crawhall – copied his subjects, his broad blocky brushstrokes and even the way he signed his name. This painting was once owned by Glasgow-born businessman George McCulloch (1848–1907).