https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/1/collection/405068/ramsgate-sands-life-at-the-seasideobserving men bathing was a contemporary issue, particularly as men often bathed naked). Bathing machines are visible in the background, but the painting shows no bathers, only genteel paddling at the edge of the sea. The painting measures . The back of the painting bears the inscription "Life at the Sea side". Reception The painting received a mixed reception. It was dismissed by one contemporary commentator as "vulgar Cockney business" or a "tissue of vulgarity" and it was rejected by several potential buyers before it was exhibited at the Royal Academy summer exhibition in 1854. However, it became very popular with the viewing public at the exhibition, and it was praised by critics for its realistic depiction of modern life. It was voted the "picture of the year" by the journal Royal Academy Pictures and was purchased by the printers Lloyd Brothers for 1,000 guineas. When Queen Victoria expressed an interest in buying the painting - she had visited Ramsgate several times in the 1820s and 1830s, staying at Townley House and Albion House - it was sold for the same price to her, and displayed at Osborne House. Lloyd Brothers retained the right to reproduce the painting as an engraving for sale to the public as prints, and Frith may have earned as much as £3,000 from the sales. Notes References William Powell Frith - Ramsgate Sands, 2 June 2010 A thousand words, The Guardian, 11 June 2011 Water, Leisure and Culture: European Historical Perspectives, Susan C. Anderson, Bruce Tabb, p. 89-92 1854 paintings Paintings by William Powell Frith Paintings in the Royal Collection of the United Kingdom Maritime paintings