Provenance

• 1857: commissioned by Charles Phelps Williams (1804-1879) of Stonington, CT;
• 1858: probably sent to Stonington to C. P. Williams and his wife, Georgia Palmer Babcock (Mrs C. P. Williams) (1837–1910).

In 1900 Whistler thought that his copies were probably still at Stonington, but there is no further record of them. Whistler's account of his commission from C. P. Williams is as follows:

'Then in Paris, when I was first studying, Captain Williams from Stonington; Stonington Bill they called him, got me to paint his portrait, and then gave me a commission to copy as many pictures as I chose for twenty-five dollars a piece, and I copied … an inundation. I have no doubt I made something very interesting out of them. There were very wonderful things even then, the beginning of harmonies and purple schemes. I suppose it must have been intuitive. … Probably all these are still at Stonington and are shown as wonderful things by Whistler!' 1

Exhibitions

There is no record of any exhibition of this painting.