Although A Courtyard with an Open Workshop and a Standing Woman [YMSM 308] supposedly came from the artist's estate, and its authenticity should therefore be beyond question, it appears to be rather uneven and crude in technique, and both its date and authorship are in doubt.

1880s: It had been suggested that could date from the 1880s. 1 However, it is impossible to place the style, technique, subject or date satisfactorily in the 1880s.

1901:

A Courtyard with an Open Workshop and a Standing Woman, Private collection

The Beach at Marseilles, Terra Foundation for American Art

A Courtyard with an Open Workshop and a Standing Woman [YMSM 308] could conceivably date from as late as 1901, when Whistler, sick (which might account for the uneven technique) and in search of warmer climes, visited southern France and Corsica.

It shares elements of an uncertain provenance and style with The Beach at Marseille [YMSM 543]. Both could date from considerably later, after Whistler's death.