Provenance

• 1856/1867: acquired, probably from Whistler, by Etienne Joseph Théophile Thoré (1807-1869) ;
• 1869-1990s: passed by family descent to a private collection;
• Date unknown: sold to an unknown buyer.
• 2007: sold at auction, Sotheby's, New York, 28 November 2007 (lot 4, repr.).

Thoré, an influential writer and critic, was a friend of Courbet and an ardent exponent of Realism in his articles and his Salon Reviews. For his part in the 1848 Revolution, Thoré was condemned to death and fled to Brussels where he lived until after the amnesty of 1859. In 1867 Thoré contacted Whistler through Edouard Manet (1832-1883), and offered to buy At the Piano [YMSM 024], but it was in the hands of Seymour Haden.

Reclining Lady was probably given to Thoré at some time between 1859 and 1867, in recognition of Thoré's praise of Whistler and his desire to acquire some of his works.

Exhibitions

No exhibitions are known.