The works of Japanese artists Hiroshige and Hokusai greatly influenced van Gogh, both for the beautiful subject matter and the style of flat patterns of colors without shadow.

Van Gogh used the theme of a woman sitting at a small table, introduced by Impressionists, such as Edgar Degas and Édouard Manet.

Even more, van Gogh's Portrait of Père Tanguy from the fall of the same year further explores his use of color and better promotes his Japanese prints.

[5] Van Gogh occasionally visited Café du Tambourin run by Agostina Segatori, the subject of this painting.

Besides convenience, the restaurant was notable to Van Gogh as a venue for exhibition of his paintings, a practice initiated by artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul-Albert Besnard and others.

Although assured by Agostina that van Gogh could claim his paintings, according to Émile Bernard's recollection, debtors sold them[3] "as waste canvas"[7] in batches of 10, ranging in price from 50 centimes to one franc per bundle.

[9] Agostina Segatori Sitting in the Café du Tambourin is on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.