Provenance

• 1903: in Whistler's studio at his death and bequeathed to his ward and executrix, Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958);
• 1905: bought from Miss Birnie Philip by Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919), Detroit;
• 1919: bequeathed by C. L. Freer to the Freer Gallery of Art.

Miss R. Birnie Philip may have offered the painting for sale as 'Green and Gold: – Tom' to Robert Dunthorne (1850-1925), a London dealer, on 14 May 1904 for 600 guineas. 1 It may also have been on sale in Glasgow, where it was exhibited by a local art dealer, James Connell, possibly in 1904 (cat. no. 73A).

In August 1904 Freer wrote to Miss R. Birnie Philip, 'I sympathize with the disappointment felt by the would-be-buyer of "The Raconteur"… The bright and amusing thoughts of the amazing boy shining through his mischievous eyes.' 2 The sale to C. L. Freer, implied in this note, was confirmed in September 1905, for £1000.

Exhibitions

• 1904: Ouvrages de Peintures, Sculpture, Dessin, Gravure, Architecture et Objets d'Art, 14th exhibition, Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1904 (cat. no. 1317) as ' "Vert et Or" (le Raconteur)'.
• 1904: Etchings and Lithographs by James McNeill Whistler, James Connell & Sons, Glasgow, [1904] (cat. no. 73A) as 'Green and Gold. Tom'.

It was not, as far as is known, exhibited in Whistler's lifetime.

The painting was included in an exhibition at the galleries of James Connell & Sons in 31 Renfield Street, Glasgow, possibly in 1904. 3

By the terms of C. L. Freer's bequest to the Freer Gallery of Art, the painting cannot be lent to another venue.