Portrait of M. R. Elden (3) probably dates from between 1882 and 1884. 1

1882: Whistler is known to have been working on a full-length of Matthew Robinson Elden (1839-1885) in 1882, Portrait of H. R. Eldon (1) [YMSM 243], but this has not been located.

Portrait of M. R. Elden (3), Private collection

1883: According to the artist Walter Richard Sickert (1860-1942), he saw Whistler at work on a portrait of Elden. 2 Sickert dated it about 1883, and a date of 1883 or 1884 is reasonable, given the deterioration in Elden's mental health before his death in 1885.