Prior to emigrating to America in 1922, Troy studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux and traveled to such locales as the West Indies and East Africa. Troy later worked for the Federal Arts Project in 1935, and his work was exhibited at the Art Institute’s WPA exhibition in 1938. In this woodcut, Troy depicted the South State Street Market in Chicago, as produce vendors set up stalls and pedestrians peruse the wares. Interested in the use of multiple vantage points and cutaway views, Troy was able to capture many different facets of Chicago daily life. He eventually joined the School of the Art Institute of Chicago faculty, teaching wood engraving in the 1950s and 1960s.