Sketches of Nocturnes date from about 1879. They have not been located but are known from reproductions by Thomas Robert Way (1861-1913). 1

Sketches of Nocturnes, Way 1912

Nocturne: Grey and Silver - Chelsea Embankment, Winter, Freer Gallery of Art

The drawings are not entirely consistent with Whistler's style, but Way was usually a reliable source. The first subject appears to be a memory drawing, a sketch for, or a sketch of Nocturne: Grey and Silver - Chelsea Embankment, Winter [YMSM 205]. The oil probably dates from January 1879 and was exhibited in Glasgow in that year, and in London in 1892.

They are fully catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 722).