The artist etched this elevated point of view of the Riva degli Schiavone probably from his room in the Casa Jankowitz in Venice in 1879-80 as part of a commission he received from the Fine Art Society of London. The traditional method of showing detail in the foreground is flouted by Whistler, who, instead, presents an open triangular piazza. The composition is populated by fishermen and a groups of people engaged in conversation and crossing the arched bridge in the middleground. The suggestion of paving stones are indicated with a few etched lines and the receding row of buildings at the very top of the composition lead to the round domes of San Marco on the extreme right.
