On the Beach at Douglas
Date made: 1894
Artist: Hay, William Hardie
Description: This painting by the Glasgow artist William Hardie Hay is entitled 'On the Beach at Douglas'. The scene in the foreground shows a crowd of mostly children around a Punch and Judy show. In the far distance behind are visible the Palace ballroom and the Derby Castle.
The painting is executed in oils on canvas, and is signed and dated by the artist in the bottom left hand corner.
The artist has managed to capture two important aspects of the Victorian seaside holiday in the Isle of Man. One was the simple pleasure of playing on the beach, the main focus of a holiday for the many children with their buckets and spades in this scene. The other was the role of the Isle of Man as the summer entertainment capital of Britain. In the evening a range of entertainments were on offer to tourists including dancing at the Palace (the largest ballroom in Europe) and a visit to the theatre to see the most famous variety acts of the era.
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Measurements: unframed artwork: 54 cm x 75 cm
Materials: oil on canvas
Object name: painting
Collection: Art Collection
ID number: 1984-0302
Subject tags : Isle of Man