In 1908 Vuillard and his mother moved into an apartment in the corner building at 16 rue de Calais, overlooking the place Vintimille (today's place Adolphe Max). The artist was captivated by this forgotten corner of "Le Vieux Paris" that was just around the corner from the hustle and bustle of the boulevard de Clichy in the heart of Montmartre. The small sun-dappled park, with its tall trees and statue of Hector Berlioz, offered then as now an oasis of calm to strollers, tourists, playing children, and nannies. Vuillard set to work immediately, creating three decorative panels (1909–10), a five-panel screen (1911), and maquettes, studies, drawings, and paintings in which the park is seen from every angle and perspective but always from above.

This is the only view of the place Vintimille where Vuillard focused on the rebuilding of the curved sidewalk, which has been divided into sections in various stages of repair. Ever the truthful observer, the artist depicted the hand tools, sheds, and other equipment, among these a cement mixer on the far right, including even the cast-off jackets of the toiling workers. Except that the pedestal of Berlioz's statue has now been lowered, the little park and the surrounding houses remain unchanged today.