Boudin first visited Venice in May, 1892. He stayed only briefly, painting a single picture. He returned again for another short stay in June, 1894, painting a second view of the city. In the summer of 1895 he made an extended visit, and painted over 75 pictures, including the present work.

Most of these views are panoramic and incorporate the familiar landmarks of the city and lagoon. Boudin also depicted the less familiar small canals, and even painted views of fishing boats very similar to those he would have done in northern France or Holland. For the most part he made use of the standard horizontal landscape format, but in the present painting and a half-dozen others he utilized a vertical support, which best suited the composition of the narrow canals and neighboring buildings.

Robert Schmit lists this painting as no. Cl. 4305 in the Boudin archives.