The Beach at Trouville, 1870 by Claude Monet

In 1869 the working classes were swelling with resentment against the emperor resulting in a huge demonstration in January 1870, Against this, Monet continued to paint his charming depictions of the middle class at leisure. In June of that year, Monet married Camille against fierce opposition from his family and the couple traveled to Trouville for the summer months. Boudin had great success with his paintings of Trouville, which was a popular holiday destination, and Monet no doubt wished to follow suit. It was during that summer that Napoleon Ill declared war on Prussia, after which Monet fled to London.

The spatial arrangement of The Beach at Trouville is unusual, having a frieze-like structure with the figures pressed up into the foreground and a wide, virtually empty background, with a distinct lack of middle ground. The two people, probably Camille and a nanny, are typical in their lack of interaction with each other. Monet's figures invariably exist as contained within their own world, irrespective of those around them.