X-radiographs have revealed that this painting is a fragment of Les Gitanos, a large portrait of an itinerant family that Édouard Manet exhibited in 1863 and 1867. Apparently dissatisfied with the composition, he cut the painting into sections, which he reconceived as individual works of art. Two of these sections, Bohémien and Still Life with Bag and Garlic, are in the collection of the Louvre Abu Dhabi; the final section, Bohémienne, is lost.

To make this portion a standalone work, Manet painted over the head of the woman, which was originally under the boy’s shoulder, and replaced the blue sky with a dark background. He then renamed the painting La Régalade, which means to pour liquid from a bottle down the throat without touching the lips.