Have come across a description of The Visit in The Athenæum, 27 May 1882, p673:

The Visit (704) of Miss A. L. Robinson, a pretty but somewhat Hals-like picture of two little girls dressed in black and grey seated on a blue sofa, before white and gold embroidery, may be classed with the ‘Cara Nona’ of Signor Bellei, but the subject is pleasanter and the artist’s touch finer. The demure self-restraint of the children is given with quaint and admirable humour; each infant is eager to burst into talk.

This description confirms that the work exhibited at the Royal Academy exhibition in 1882, no. 704, was indeed the same as that auctioned by Sotheby’s in 2023, and the title to be correct – “The Visit”, not “Little Visitors” as in The Graphic Christmas Edition, 1883. These things were reasonably certain, but always good to have supporting information.

Interesting to read about the sofa being blue. This was shown in the 1883 newspaper colour illustration but was not at all apparent when the painting was on display pre-auction due to age-related discolouration.

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Jonathan Russell