A Frenchman by birth, Tissot spent most of his career in England having settled there after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71.
He was a great friend of Whistler’s, and, despite leaving his homeland, he maintained close contact with those who remained, such as Degas.
Considered a true painter of modern life, Tissot is best remembered for his witty paintings of Victorian high society, many of which include the beautiful Mrs Newton with whom he shared an intimate relationship from 1875 until her death in 1882.
The male sitter in this painting is probably Tissot himself, accompanied by Mrs Newton, and her sister Mrs Hervey. The closeness of Tissot and Newton in the picture underlines how strongly the artist felt for his muse less than a year after their first meeting, and her adoring gaze repays the compliment, declaring her own devotion to him.
Considered to be one of Tissot’s best paintings, On The Thames was however lambasted in the press when first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1876. The Times found it to be "questionable material"; the Athenaeum described the two ladies as "vulgar and low-bred".
The painting marked something of a turning point for Tissot, in its rejection by the critics and the Royal Academy. After this date, he ceased to show at the Royal Academy.
