This seascape is a typical example of Henry Ossawa Tanner's early student years, in which he focused on seascapes, landscapes, and animals. This particular work was painted for Daniel A. Payne and is inscribed to him on the back. Payne was a leader of the A.M.E. Church and the superior of Tanner's father, Bishop Bejamin Tucker Tanner, as well as a family friend.