Between 1887 and 1890 Monet concerned himself with portraying scenes from the River Epte, which skirted his property at Giverny.

The sisters Suzanne and Blanche Hoschedé posed for this series of pictures, their late father being banker Ernest Hoschedé, a patron of the arts and collector of Monet, and their mother, Alice, who became Monet's second wife.

Boating on the River Epte, which also has a preparatory study, was mentioned by Monet in a letter to critic and friend Geffroy, dated June 22, 1890: “I am again vexed by things that are impossible to do: water with undulating vegetation on the bottom”.

[1] Monet's friendship with photographer Nadar and his genuine interest in photography influenced the framing of the composition as well as the out-of-focus effect produced by the movement of the boat on the water to be seen in the Hoschedé sisters.

[citation needed] In addition, a possible influence on the work's composition is suggested to be an engraving by Suzuki Harunobu entitled Woman Collecting Lotus Flowers.