Exempted from military service at the outbreak of World War I, Survage moved to Nice with the Baroness Hélene d'Oettingen. In this pleasant climate Survage began the richly colored paintings which have been described as his Période Rose, depicting Nice and surrounding towns and incorporating Mediterranean motifs. The male silhouette and bird appear in many of the compositions of this period. Survage returned to Paris at the end of 1916 to attend the banquet given for Guillaume Apollinaire on the occasion of the publication of Poète assassiné.

A photo-certificate from Marie Bertin dated Paris, August 26, 1992 accompanies this painting, which she and Eric Brosset will include in their forthcoming Survage catalogue raisonné.