Bouguereau's Dawn marks the beginning of a four-piece series depicting different stages of the day, including Dusk (1882), Night (1883), and Day (1884). The painting portrays a nude woman gracefully dancing on the surface of a pond, holding a lily in her arm as she reaches to smell it. Bouguereau's skillful depiction of the dancer's pose, with her balancing on the water's skin, and the soft cool tones of her skin reflect the tranquil atmosphere of early morning. The diaphanous drapery swirling around her, combined with her suspended pose and mirrored reflection, create an otherworldly effect.

Throughout his career, Bouguereau repeatedly employed the motif of the female nude, arranging the body in various suggestive poses while often referencing myths or literature. His focus on the single figure in works such as Dawn allowed him to showcase his mastery of line and handling of subtle color contrasts, resulting in a sinuous and atmospheric depiction of early morning. The model's fingers and toes tinged with pink reflect Homer's description of daybreak as "rosy-fingered dawn, the child of morning." Despite the lack of a specific mythological or literary reference, Bouguereau always imbued his female nudes with a sense of classicism and poetry.

Adolphe Goupil, Bouguereau's regular dealer, acquired the 'times-of-day' series, which he then sold to various American collectors. The sale of the series is a testament to Bouguereau's unparalleled critical and commercial success in both European and American art markets during his lifetime.