Provenance

• 1880: sold after Whistler's bankruptcy, at auction, Sotheby's, London, 12-3 February 1880 (lot 83) as 'Crayon Sketch … of a lady seated', and bought by Thomas Way (1837-1915);
• By 1905: passed to his son, Thomas Robert Way (1861-1913);
• 1905: bought from Thomas Robert Way (1861-1913) by Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919), Detroit, in London in June;
• 1919: bequeathed to the Freer Gallery of Art.

On 12 February 1880 Thomas Way wrote to tell Whistler he had bought one of 'The two framed studies of Miss F. in the Old Chair ... … So that you see no harm has been done you.' 1

Further details are given in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 694).

Exhibitions

• 1879: possibly III Summer Exhibition, Grosvenor Gallery, London, 1879 (cat. no. 273 or 274) 'Study in Chalk'.

By the terms of Freer's will the drawing can not be lent to other venues.