Violet and Rose: La Belle de Jour may have been started in 1884. 1 On the verso is a graphite sketch that appears to be a study for Note in Green and Brown: Orlando at Coombe [YMSM 317], which probably dates from 1884 and was first exhibited in 1886.

However, the technique of Violet and Rose: La Belle de Jour suggests a slightly later date. The half-seen butterfly signature at left, assuming it belongs to the original composition and was not added later, could indicate a date in the late 1880s, but this is not certain, and again, it could date from later.

It appears to belong to a group of sketches that are very hard to date either by technique and subject, including Sketch for 'Annabel Lee' [YMSM 080] and Ariel [YMSM 318]. They may date from the 1870s or 1880s or from the late 1890s, being reworkings of earlier compositions.

Likewise Violet and Rose: La Belle de Jour [YMSM 319] could be a reworking of a composition developed in pastel in the 1870s, such as r.: Morning Glories; v.: Nude study [M.0410], and may date from the late 1880s or even 1890s in its present condition.