Born in Hungary, Joseph Kleitsch began painting as early as age seven and trained in Budapest, Munich, and Paris. He quickly gained recognition for his portraits, having sitters like Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria by the time he was just 17. Kleitsch immigrated to the United States in 1901 and moved to California in 1920. Although he continued to paint portraits and figures in California, he also became known for depictions of the landscape around Laguna Beach.

This painting depicts the artist’s wife, Edna (at left), and her friend Florence Marsh. Marsh was the wife of the manager of G. T. Marsh and Company, an importer of Asian goods. The company was founded in San Francisco in 1876, and then opened shops in Coronado, Santa Barbara, Monterey, and Los Angeles. According to art historian Patricia Trenton, the shop shown here was located in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Paintings like The Oriental Shop inspired the Los Angeles Times quote stating that Kleitsch "was a born colorist; he seemed to play on canvas with the abandon of a gypsy violinist.”