The painting depicts a scene on the wetlands at Saint-Omer in north-west France. In the foreground a barge is being loaded on the River Aa, and in the background we see the tower of the medieval Saint-Bertin Church. The painting is sketch-like in style, but this does not necessarily mean that Corot painted it on site. The sketch-like style was popular at the time and was also used in paintings created in studios.