The bare tree leaning over the wall on the right together with the very limited range of color, suggest that this drawing was completed during the winter of 1879-1880, near the beginning of Whistler's fourteen month stay in Venice. Whistler used bright whites and the palest blues and pinks to suggest the snapping of drying laundry on a cold day. The pastel is unsigned and probably was not included in the 1881 Fine Art Society exhibition.