c. 1856
Dumont's Baths at Sainte-Adresse
Gustave Le GrayFrench, 1820 - 1884
In the 1800s, France’s rapid expansion of the rail system made beaches more accessible—seaside resort towns on the Normandy coast were now a short train ride from Paris. In this photograph, the infrastructure of the seaside resort is on display, with cabanas that offer a place to get changed and signs pointing beachgoers to the water. Gustave Le Gray was not the only artist to find inspiration at Sainte-Adresse; Claude Monet and several of his Impressionist colleagues also depicted this beach in their paintings.
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