1866: Nocturne in Blue and Gold: Valparaiso Bay dates originally from Whistler's trip to Valparaiso from March to September 1866 but was almost certainly completed in the 1870s. 1 It has been assumed that this was the earliest of Whistler's Nocturnes, 2 but in its early state it was probably not a nocturne at all, but became one as it was reworked over subsequent years.

1874: Nocturne in Blue and Gold: Valparaiso Bay may be the picture referred to in a letter from Whistler to Alfred Chapman (1839-1917) of Liverpool, on 22 July 1874, 'I had once promised to let Grapel have the first chance at the Valparaiso if I ever finish it.' 3 The reference is to the dealer and collector William Grapel (1822-1887). Stylistically it is likely that the painting was worked on at this time, before being exhibited in the following year.

Nocturne in Blue and Gold: Valparaiso Bay, Freer Gallery of Art

1875: It was first exhibited in the Second Annual Exhibition of Modern Pictures in Oil and Water Colour, Royal Pavilion Gallery, Brighton, 1875 (cat. no. 158) as 'Nocturne in blue and silver'.