In 1886, Impressionism was still considered a new and radical style in the United States, but was an established artistic movement in Europe. American artist Childe Hassam was introduced to the work of Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir while in Paris. Isles of Shoals was created during one of several visits he made over a period of five years. The painting displays Hassam’s understanding and embrace of Impressionist style, including transparent color, spontaneous brushwork, and the shimmering, transitory effects of light on water.

Isles of Shoals originally belonged to nature writer and poet Celia Thaxter, who owned property on Appledore Island in the Isles of Shoals, ten miles off the coast of Maine and New Hampshire. Hassam spent 20 summers there, often painting the brilliant blue spires of lupine as seen in this watercolor.