Beach Scene 

Eugène Boudin created this beach scene in oil paint, capturing a slice of leisure life. Here, in a northern French coastal resort, the rising bourgeoisie mixed and mingled in their finery. This painting tells us a lot about the changing social landscape of the time. The beach was fast becoming a stage for displays of wealth and status. Boudin presents the rigid social conventions around the beach; notice the elaborate dresses which were unsuitable for anything more than sitting and watching. We see a clear visual code in operation. Dress was regulated by class. The artifice of social life is reinforced by the presence of bathing machines, those curious contraptions that allowed for discreet and private access to the sea. To understand this work more fully, one could explore etiquette manuals and fashion plates of the time. The historian can bring context to our viewing, enriching our understanding of art as a product of its time, reflecting and shaping the social forces at play.