Cotman became one of the leading figures in the Norwich School after his return from London in 1806. A brilliant watercolourist, he first took up oils for a beach scene at Yarmouth.

This picture was probably painted at Cromer. Cotman's interest in this stretch of the Norfolk coast was sparked by his wife, a girl from nearby Felbrigg. A book published in 1806 had recorded Cromer's picturesque scenery and its emergence as a resort. But Cotman's picture is starkly abstract and contains no holidaymakers or bathing machines.