Sea-bathing became fashionable in France in the second half of the nineteenth century and Boudin began painting scenes of holidaymakers on the beach at Trouville and Deauville as early as 1862. These works were so popular that he soon developed a smaller format and sketchy technique, painting rapidly in the open air. In this work holidaymakers (mostly women) sit and chat in small groups, stroll up and down the beach or observe the boats in the bay.