The French Gallery was a franchise run by Wallis and Son in London. Other branches were located in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee. William Henry Wallis, an engraver, ran the gallery with his son Thomas until his death in 1890. Thomas Wallis and his son Harry continued the family business until his retirement in 1910. Harry Wallis was joined by art dealer and critic D. Croal Thomson (formerly of the Goupil Gallery) from 1909 until 1918. On May 9, 1913, Woman with a Child sold at auction by Christie's, London, as A Woman holding a child for £225 to Wallis. A month later the watercolor was sold by D. Croal Thomson on behalf of the French Gallery to Freer for £260.