Nocturne in Blue and Gold dates from the early 1870s, probably between 1872 and 1875.

Whistler's earliest Nocturnes date from 1871. This one was first exhibited at the Second Annual Exhibition of Modern Pictures in Oil and Water Colour, Royal Pavilion Gallery, Brighton, 1875 (cat. no. 98).

Nocturne: Blue and Silver – Cremorne Lights, Tate Britain

Nocturne: Blue and Silver –Battersea Reach, Freer Gallery of Art

It may have been a known nocturne, such as Nocturne: Blue and Silver - Cremorne Lights [YMSM 115] or Nocturne: Blue and Silver - Battersea Reach [YMSM 119], which date from the early 1870s.