While living in France during the 1920s, William Glackens spent long periods in the south of France, where he stayed with his family in the town of Vence. There he enjoyed the pleasures of Provence, painting still lifes of flowers and fruit from farms nearby. Glackens' son Ira recalled Red and White Anemones as "undoubtedly painted in Vence, either 1925-26 or 1929-30. That place was a great anenome growing town for the Paris and London markets; they were all over the place and we had the Villa les Pivoines full of them in the anenome season."

Letters from the artist's son Ira Glackens discussing the painting accompany the lot.