Provenance

• 1884: probably bought from Messrs Dowdeswell, London, by Henry Studdy Theobald (1847-1934) ;
• 1902: sold in June to Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) , Detroit;
• 1919: bequeathed to the Freer Gallery of Art.

Further details are given in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 946).

Exhibitions

• 1884: 'Notes' - 'Harmonies' - 'Nocturnes', Messrs Dowdeswell, London, 1884 (cat. no. 53) as 'Nocturne; black and red – Back Canal, Holland'.
• 1884: Annual Exhibition of Sketches, Pictures & Photography: A Loan Collection of Pictures by Mr Whistler ..., Dublin Sketching Club, Dublin, 1884 (cat. no. 237) as 'Nocturne, black and red – Grand Canal, Holland'.
• 1904: Oil Paintings, Water Colors, Pastels and Drawings: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler, Copley Society, Boston, 1904 (cat. no. 101) as 'Nocturne – Black and Red – Back Canal, Holland'.
• 1905: Œuvres de James McNeill Whistler, Palais de l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1905 (cat. no. 121) as 'Nocturne. Black and Red. Back Canal. Holland'.

By the terms of Freer's will, this work can not be lent to another venue.