In 1895, writing home to his friend the painter Philip Wilson Steer, Sickert declared: ‘Venice is really first-rate for work.’ Notwithstanding the eminence of painted Venice, ranging through Canaletto, Whistler and Monet, all of whom Sickert admired, it was the rich character of the place itself that appealed to him above all. He found his own subjects but did not demure from treating famous motifs around the Rialto Bridge and St Mark’s Basilica. He made five visits to the city in summer 1895, 1896, spring 1900, the first half of 1901, and 1903–1904. The final visit lasted about eight months.