Grey and Silver: Old Battersea Reach is signed and dated '1863'.

Grey and Silver: Old Battersea Reach, Art Institute of Chicago

It may have been one of the pictures mentioned, rather cryptically, by Whistler to Ignace-Henri-Jean-Théodore Fantin-Latour (1836-1904) in July 1863: 'Moi aussi j'en ai en train des choses que nous aimerons.' 1

Grey and Silver: Old Battersea Reach was probably the 'Thames picture' seen by William Michael Rossetti (1829-1919) in Whistler's studio on 31 March 1867. 2

It was first exhibited in the 99th Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1867 (cat. no. 243) as 'Battersea'.