William Morris Hunt played an important role in bringing awareness of the French Barbizon school to the United States. This style offered American painters an alternative to the Hudson River School by encouraging them to loosen their brushstrokes and focus more on atmosphere rather than solid form. Like the French artists he admired, Hunt
preferred to paint outside in nature rather than within his studio, and he championed rural farmers and peasants as worthy subjects.

This creek scene condenses the brown-green foliage with its reflection on the water's surface. With single horizontal green strokes, Hunt renders Spanish moss hanging from tree branches, suggesting the damp warmth of the Florida climate. Governor's Creek and the St. John River were fashionable resort areas when the artist painted this scene.
However, rather than depict a lively scene of leisure, Hunt shows only two small figures in the background maneuvering their boat through the smooth water.