While undated, New England Sunrise is most probably painted in or around Newport Harbor. It bears some resemblance in subject and demeanor to Beacon Rock, Newport Harbor of 1857 (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.) or Marine off Big Rock of 1864 (Cummer Gallery of Art, Jacksonville, Florida), but its tone is more reminiscent of the later works known as "the last summer's work" of 1872. These serene seascapes comprise the artist's most desirable body of work and are remarkable both for their reductivist as well as their emotive qualities.