Playing the banjo became fashionable in the Impressionist era. Cassatt incorporated the instrument in her mural, Modern Women, which she painted for the Woman's Building at the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893. This print is one of two that are directly related to that mural.

This print was executed with only two plates, one for the drypoint drawing of the figures and a second for the flesh tones of the face and the blue skirt and bodice. The woman's sleeves, the pink polka dots on her skirt, and the little girl's pink dress were "painted" onto the plate in monotype. Each impression is thus unique and different from the others not only in color, but also in the pattern of visible brushstrokes, especially on the dress. Using Japanese prints as models for her own experimentation, Mary Cassatt developed a uniquely personal technique for making color prints, one more akin to painting than to etching.