Provenance

• 1894/1895: acquired by Robert Barr (1849-1912);
• 1912: bequeathed to his widow, Eva Bennett (Mrs Robert Barr) (d. ca 1919);
• 1919: probate granted for the will of Eva Barr;
• By 1920: sold through a London art dealer to Edward Guthrie Kennedy (1849-1932), New York dealer;
• 1920: sold by Kennedy Galleries to the Witenagemote Club of Detroit in 1920 for $3500;
• 1920: given by the Club to the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Exhibitions

There is no record of an exhibition in Whistler's lifetime.

At some time between 1912 and 1914 the painting was, according to the sitter's widow, sent to the Grosvenor Gallery where, according to Mrs Barr, 'It was pronounced by many to have distinctive Whistler qualities', but its authenticity was disputed by Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919). 1 It is not clear if it was submitted for exhibition or authentication.