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Podkowiński started to paint in Warsaw between 1893 and 1894. The creation process lasted at least three months, and according to a friend, the terminally ill Podkowiński "was painting from his bed" as he finished the work. The painting was shown at the Zachęta exhibition on 18 March 1894. The exhibition was accompanied by an atmosphere of sensationalism and scandal; however, approximately 12,000 people saw the picture, earning nearly 350 rubles for the gallery.

Despite the success of the painting, Podkowiński could not find a willing buyer: 3000 rubles were offered, but Podkowiński had asked for 10,000.

On the morning of 23 April 1894, 36 days since the exhibition's opening and just before its planned end, Podkowiński came to the exhibition and slashed the painting with a knife. The reasons for this act are unclear.

Podkowiński's act of desecration may have contributed to the rumours that the image portrayed a woman towards which the artist had an unfulfilled affection. The damage of the image, and Podkowiński's death soon afterwards fuelled the speculation of his death being a suicide. Providing a rationale for this explanation are the traces of cuts on the canvas showing that only the image of the woman was subject to the attack. The object of the artist's feelings could be Ewa Kotarbińska, whom he met during his summer stay in a palace near Warsaw. She was a brunette, but Helena Kiniorska recorded in her memoir that her family saw a similarity between her and the woman in the painting and harshly condemned him.

After Podkowiński's death the painting was restored by Witold Urbański. The restored work was lent to other exhibitions in Łódź, Kraków, Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Finally, the canvas was purchased by Feliks Jasieński in 1901 for 1,000 rubles, and in 1904 was given to the National Museum in Kraków."