Camille Pissarro lived in Pontoise in 1866–1868 and 1872–1882, and portrayed the small town and the surrounding countryside in some 300 paintings. He depicted the peasants' lives and work in the traditional agricultural landscape, but also scenes from factories, the railway and other aspects of modern France. The spring day in this picture is in shades of green and yellow, with broad brush strokes and thick paint. Today, Pontoise is a Paris suburb, around 30 km from the city centre.