Artists were among the many people who took advantage of new travel opportunities offered by the development of the railways from the mid-nineteenth century. Tourism and leisure became established as a way of picturing modern life and experience around the English coastline. Steer made many visits to friends in Walberswick in Suffolk, where he completed a number of paintings of the beach.

The popularity of the coast also related to more general concerns about the moral and physical health of the nation. Walking, sunbathing and taking in the fresh air were seen as morally and physically beneficial.