William Glackens’ sumptuous floral still lifes span three decades from 1913 through the 1930s, during which time he produced over 150 “floral portraits”, making this body of work his largest exploration of any one genre. Glackens's first still lifes initially played a secondary role in his larger figurative compositions before he eventually turned his focus on them as the primary subject matter. The artist remarked toward the end of his career that for him “flowers have absolute purity, and their extraordinary variety of colors makes them irresistible.” This rich body of work demonstrates Glackens’ interest in the French movements of impressionism and modernism. He was deeply influenced by both Renoir and Matisse, blending the loose brushwork and rich color of the former with the decorative rhythmic design of the latter.

Glackens’ sheer love for this subject and his joy at depicting it are clearly evident in this floral still life. He preferred natural compositions; rather than carefully arranging the flowers, he allowed them to fall into place, believing that “the day after a bouquet was put in a vase, the flowers essentially arranged themselves.” As with his larger and more complex works, these paintings often held personal meaning. For instance, the flowers frequently came from neighboring gardens and the containers were favored objects that the family owned.

Glackens' floral paintings are extraordinary in their richness and vibrancy, and they received positive critical acclaim during his lifetime. In 1936, Glackens received the Allegheny Garden Club prize at the Carnegie International exhibition for a flower piece. In 1939, only a year after the artist's death, the assistant director of the Carnegie Institute recalled this award, remarking that "this honor was appropriate for his particular gift; no artist ever more deserved this recognition of his flower paintings. Forbes Watson has well noted that few artists of any period painted flowers more in the spirit in which the earth made them. He captured the essential qualities of the flowers and made them live perpetually enveloped in his luminous colors."