Provenance

• 1860: commissioned by Alexander Constantine Ionides (1810-1890) , London;
• 1890: passed to the sitter, Lucas (Luke) Alexander Ionides (1837-1924) after his father's death;
• 1924: bequeathed to his son, Cyril Constantine Luke Alexander Ionides (1873-1960) ;
• 1960: passed by family descent to Hugo Meynell Cyril Ionides (1900-1991) ;
• 1968: sold to Michael O. Carruthers (n/a) .

According to the Pennells, it was offered for sale in 1905 to Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) of Detroit, who declined it. 1

Exhibitions

• 1905: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of the late James McNeill Whistler, First President of The International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers, New Gallery, Regent Street, London, 1905 (cat. no. 89) as 'Portrait of L. A. Ionides, Esq.'
• 1960: Young, A. McLaren, James McNeill Whistler, Arts Council Gallery, London, and Knoedler Galleries, New York, 1960 (cat. no. 4) as ‘Luke A. Ionides’.

It was not exhibited in Whistler's lifetime.