This work was completed on July 31, 1920, when the composer was 34 years old. For a long time, it remained in the form of a handwritten manuscript copy, but it was first published in 1978 by the Croatian Music Institute (Hrvatski Glazbeni Zavod). Regarding this short piece, Dora wrote in a letter to Roza (Roza Runje-Mladota, sister of Dora's husband Ottmar von Runje), to whom she had dedicated Nocturne, Op. 50, that it was "a crazy piece that reminds me that there's a little imp lurking somewhere inside me, and it contains elements of a Slavic dance." Initially, Dora had named Caprice, Op. 54(b), composed a week after this Humoresque, Op. 54(a), as Humoresque No. 2, suggesting she considered these two pieces as a set; however, the reason for her change in title remains unclear. While many of her works are romantic and melancholic, this is a joyful and rhythmic piece that reveals another side of her, full of humor and wit.