In the 20th century, those visiting the south of France claimed nude bathing was traditional, while the rest of Europe and the USA were still developing bathing costumes.
Horton
No public holidays, and no paid leave either. Despite that, mill workers travelled by train to the seaside in Wakes Weeks.
Mr Punch and his wife Judy, and the crocodile as acted by puppets and itinerant players, and circus clowns. Paintings by Cézanne, Renoir and others.
In the early 20th century, some bathers opted for trunks, a few still bathed naked in seclusion, and modern clothes broke out on occasion.
Pierrot and Harlequin went on to be clowns in the circus, and Pulcinella became Mr Punch in popular Punch and Judy shows. And they live on still.
The experience of colour in our buildings, indoor environments, clothing and objects we look at has changed. What used to be a privilege of class is now all but universal.
From Charles Conder’s Holiday at Mentone, Australia, to Pierre Bonnard on the beach at Arcachon in south-west France, in 1922.
Exposure to colour was, for centuries, determined by class. The poor lived in largely drab worlds, but the rich surrounded themselves with vivid hues. This all changed in the late 19th century and the 20th.
Racing sandyachts 500 years ago, Punch and Judy shows, the painter who inspired Pissarro, and a firing squad: not what you’d expect on the beach.
The Eclectic Light Company 