Pensarn Beach
Francis Bedford
British, 1816–1894
1855-91
An albumen silver-print photograph by Francis Bedford that records Victorian seaside leisure at Pensarn Beach, using the camera to preserve a bustling scene of families, children, and bathing huts.
At first glance a wide, low view draws you across pebbled sand where dark silhouettes and the bright flounces of women's skirts are scattered among children at play, while a neat row of boxy bathing machines on wheels recedes toward the pale horizon.
As an early photographic record of everyday life, it shows how mid‑19th‑century photography documented and popularized seaside tourism, illustrating changing social customs, class distinctions, and the democratization of travel and visual culture.
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
5 × 7 7/8" (12.7 × 20.0 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Purchase
Accession
171.1972
Palette
Exhibitions
