Provenance

• 1894: bought by Arthur Jerome Eddy (1859-1920) , Chicago;
• 1920: bequeathed to his widow, Lucy Crapo Orrell Eddy (1863-1931) , and their son, Jerome Orrell Eddy (1891-1951) , Chicago;
• 1931: given by them to the Art Institute of Chicago, Arthur J. Eddy Memorial Collection.

Eddy paid Whistler a total of 350 guineas in two instalments. 1 Whistler thanked him, writing:

'It was very kind and nice of you to send me your cheque - which I received all right - and many thanks -

You have been charming in all your relations with me - and "on ne peut plus grand Seigneur"!' 2

On 4 October 1895 Eddy offered to go to Paris if Whistler wanted to paint on the portrait again. 3

Exhibitions

• 1904: 73rd Annual Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1904 (cat. no. 31) as 'An Arrangement in Flesh Color and Brown'.
• 1904: Oil Paintings, Water Colors, Pastels and Drawings: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler, Copley Society, Boston, 1904 (cat. no. 18) as 'An Arrangement in Flesh Color and Brown'.

It was not exhibited in Whistler's lifetime. The photograph above shows it on exhibition in Boston in 1904.