Everett Shinn, originally associated with the urban realism of the Ashcan school, was best known for his paintings of the theater, a lifelong interest sparked by a trip to Paris on which he viewed scenes by Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas. His interest in performance was not limited to his painting practice, and Shinn wrote plays that he would produce in his New York home, as well as serving as an art director in Hollywood, producing public murals, and working as an illustrator and interior designer.