Trouville, La Nourrice 1885

Eugène Boudin captured this lively beach scene at Trouville with oil on panel. The painting depicts a fashionable crowd enjoying a day at the seaside, a popular leisure activity that emerged in France during the mid-19th century. Boudin highlights the social stratification of the time, as wealthy families, shielded by parasols, are waited on by the working classes. This work reflects the rise of leisure and tourism among the bourgeoisie in France during the Second Empire. Railways made coastal towns like Trouville accessible to city dwellers seeking relaxation and entertainment. Art institutions played a role in promoting this new subject matter, with the Paris Salon exhibiting similar scenes that celebrated modern life. Boudin’s loose brushwork and attention to capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere also align with the emerging Impressionist aesthetic. To fully understand this painting, one might research the history of leisure in 19th-century France, examining guidebooks, fashion magazines, and social commentaries. We see that art can tell us much about the culture and institutions of its time.