From the 18th century bathing in the sea and the benefits of the marine climate were recommended for their therapeutic virtues. At the time balneotherapy was above all an upper class pursuit and its practice indicated a superior and shared social belonging. Little by little, swimming became more popular. It was still however unpopular at the time to walk in a bathing-suit along the beach. In order to change but also to bathe privately, bathers used mobile cabins with wheels. Whilst getting changed, a horse pulled the cabin towards the edge of the water and it was turned seaward. Bathing could therefore be carried out very discreetly. Once the bathing was completed, a flag was hoisted to attract the coachman’s attention and indicate that he could come and collect the cabin.

**The artist: CAP**

Compagnie des Arts Photomecaniques (CAP) took on the activities of three important 19th century studios Ferrier-Soulier, Neurdein and Léon & Lévy. Established in Paris rue Letellier, it pursued the policies of its predecessors by covering Paris, as well as France’s provinces and the colonies, between the end of the First World War and the end of the 1960s. With a rich collection of hundreds of thousands of photographs, Compagnie des Arts Photomecanique’s work offers spectators the opportunity to witness the radical changes which took place in these parts of the world during the 20th century. Considered typical of the places photographed, the views produced by CAP were for sale in the form of postcards and illustrated books and were sold in restaurants and cafés, as well as bookshops.