Philip James de Loutherbourg

As this watercolor illustrates, health, not pleasure, was the primary

motive for early beach-going at Margate in Kent. Therapeutic

activities included strolling the waterfront to inhale the salty air

and immersion in the cold, frothy surf, facilitated by a “bathing

machine,” a horse-drawn cart with an expandable canvas bonnet.

These curious contraptions, seen in the left half of the shallow

harbor, allowed modest gentlefolk to undress and take the plunge

out of sight from neighboring bathers. This watercolor is one of

six by Philip James de Loutherbourg showing facets of daily life

in Margate and the nearby resorts of Ramsgate, Brighton, and

Worthing, reproduced in aquatint by J. C. Stadler and published in

1801 as a portfolio entitled Picturesque Scenery of Great Britain.