Provenance

• 1903: in Whistler's studio at his death and bequeathed to his sister-in-law, Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958) ;
• 1935: given by Miss Birnie Philip to the University of Glasgow.

Exhibitions

• 1892: possibly 31st Exhibition of Works of Modern Artists, Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts, Glasgow, 1892 (cat. no. 692) as 'Violet and Yellow'.
• 1905: Œuvres de James McNeill Whistler, Palais de l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1905 (cat. no. 151) as 'Violet and Gold'.

The Glasgow Herald commented on 22 April 1892 that 'The girls are not ravishingly beautiful, and would pass unnoticed in a crowd' and that 'the canary yellow is an excessive quantity'. Perhaps that is why the title was 'enhanced' to include gold.

By the terms of Miss Birnie Philip's Gift, this work cannot be lent to another venue.