Purchased 1903 from the artist by Mr. and Mrs. John W. Simpson, New York;[1] gift 1942 to NGA. [1] In the Musée Rodin Archives, Paris, there is a copy of a note Rodin sent to the Simpsons dated 1 September 1903, listing five works that he was sending. _The Thinker_ was number 1 on the list.