In the 1880s, after his return from academic study abroad and before embracing impressionism, Weir painted numerous still lifes. Roses, typical of his larger works in this genre, is vertical in format and has a dark background from which emerge two delicate ceramic vases holding numerous flowers in full bloom. The flowers are dropping their petals onto a reflective tabletop.
Weir's choice of flowers and props for his still lifes suggests that his motives were more than simply aesthetic. He had a rich variety of symbolic traditions to draw from, including the rose as a symbol of Mary in sixteenth-century Italian religious painting, the memento mori (a symbolic reminder of death) theme of seventeenth-century Dutch art, and the association of flowers with womanhood in the Victorian era. In Roses, Weir recalled the renaissance tradition by including a sculptural relief of the Madonna and Child behind the flowers, barely visible in the shadows.
Still-life painting, especially flower subjects, had grown in popularity in America since the 1860s. In addition to providing artists with challenging studio subjects, still lifes also had a decorative appeal. Weir concentrated on still lifes as commercial ventures and as a means to explore formal issues. Although his still lifes were in great demand, Weir painted few of them after the 1880s, turning his attention, instead, to the challenge of landscape painting and French impressionism.