The painting depicts Nossa Senhora de Monte Serrat Fort, under the morning light of a sunny day. This monument of military architecture is located on a dominant position, eighteen meters above sea level, at Monte Serrat peninsula. When Brazil was still a Portuguese colony, it was a mark of the northern limit of the city. The beach is called Boa Viagem.

Valença worked from 1912 to 1920 as a drafter of Cia de Energia Elétrica da Bahia (Electric Power Company) with engineer Américo Simas, who was responsible for the urbanization of Monte Serrat neighborhood.