Uninhabited typifies landscapes created by members of the California Water Color Society at the time. Painted on a large sheet, a solitary shack sits high on a sandy hill near the ocean far above a few other cabins. This image of isolation is painted in a limited palette of somber browns, yellow ochers, and grays, accented by the brilliant white of the paper. Applying the paint in broad, fluid washes with touches of dry brush limited to the foreground vegetation, Backus skillfully controlled the medium to retain a clean crispness.