Childe Hassam was born on October 17, 1859 and grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He was a pioneer of the American Impressionist style and had a long and prosperous career. In the 1880s he studied in Paris and gained exposure to the works of the French Impressionists.

In 1897 Hassam spent time in France, Italy, and England. In Brittany, Hassam spent a great deal of time in Pont-Aven which is documented by the large volume of work painted during his stay. Square at Pont Aven, 1897, is one of these compositions completed during his stay. It illustrates a street scene in Pont Aven where people, bathed in a golden light of loosely painted brushwork, are walking along the square.