Menton, known as 'la perle de la France' is situated on the Côte d'Azur close to the border with Italy. In March 1882 Victoria, and her youngest daughter Princess Beatrice, stayed in the Chalet des Rosiers in Menton for their first visit to the Riviera. English tourists had played a key role in in popularising the area. Access via the new railways and the visits of royalty such as Leopold II and Empress Eugenie, resulted in a huge influx of new visitors. At the beginning of the 1860s, when the poet Swinburne visited Menton to convalesce, about 4000 visitors stayed in Nice, and by 1879 the number had more than tripled. By choosing the Riviera as a holiday resort, and not just as a place to recover from illness, Queen Victoria set the seal on its reputation, which lasts to the present day.

This is a view from a wooded shore across the west bay to Menton; the calm blue sea stretches away to the right, with a village on the far side of the bay; in the foreground the grassy and rocky shore is shaded by trees. See also RCIN 408914, a companion painting of the East Bay, by the artist - who appears to sign their name 'Floience'.