Throughout his long career as an artist, Stuart Davis maintained an equal interest in describing the visible world around him and advancing the Modernist styles that were on the rise in the twentieth century. His earliest forays were inspired by his studies with the acclaimed American painter and teacher Robert Henri from 1909 until 1912, when the present Boating Party was made.

In this early stage of Davis's career, he displayed an affinity for the watercolor medium. His skill was recognized when five of his watercolors were included in the 1913 Armory Show. Featuring urban locations and crowded spaces, these darker and dense paintings were, in many ways, the opposite of Boating Party with its bright daylight, cool coastal colors, and natural, open spaces.

Davis would go on to become one of the early leaders of the Modernist movement in American Art, and a progenitor of Pop Art in the 1960s.

This work was an early acquisition for Ms. Walton, long before she had studied and become a devotee of the work of Davis.