The winter of 1892 was exceptionally severe. From the studio of his friend Witsen, Breitner could see the snow-covered Oosterpark (then under construction), located in a new district of Amsterdam. Typical tall, late 19th-century houses are visible on the horizon. Breitner, always short of money, is said to have traded this painting for a bicycle rather than sell it through the dealer to whom he was under contract.