Nude on Sofa may date from between 1899 and 1900, and certainly before Whistler became ill late in 1900. 1 While he was convalescing in Corsica, Whistler's ward and executrix, Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958), listed a 'Little nude figure on sofa' among small panels in his studio at 8 Fitzroy Street on 16 February 1901. 2

The sale of a 'Little full length nude on sofa' for £420 to Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) was recorded in May 1902, but it does not appear ever to have been part of his collection. 3