3-015-754 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Osmington Bay, 1816. Portland Island and Chesil Beach separate Osmington Bay’s choppy waters from the expansive, cloudy sky. A handful of people populate the beach: a young boy with a crook, likely a shepherd, stands at right; a mother and child walk near a seated figure at middle distance; and further along, a fisherman mends a net near his boat. These figures reveal the beach as a site of both work and leisure.