In 1930 Nash travelled to the South of France, staying in a hotel by the sea. This image derives from a reflection of a ship in the large mirror which hung in front of his bed. The dream-like quality indicates Nash's interest in Surrealism, and in the unconscious. Read admired the way Nash managed to respond to the European influence of Surrealism, while maintaining the English character of his work. He wrote: 'The striking peculiarity of Paul Nash is that, alone in his generation, he has dared to transform the English tradition.'