Harmony in Blue and Gold may date from 1878. 1

It was on exhibition in Glasgow in 1879, and described by 'Megilp' on 22 January 1879 as 'a young lady, with yellowish drapery leaning over a balcony ... fresh from the easel of this artist.' 2 It may have been defaced by Whistler at the time of his bankruptcy in 1879, and retrieved and restored at a later date.

It was exhibited at the Sixty-third Annual Exhibition, Society of British Artists, London, 1886 (cat. no. 298) as 'Harmony in Blue and Gold'. It may have been the painting listed by Whistler among his larger pictures as 'Parasol' in 1886 or 1887. 3