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PAG2-strang-bathers-jpg

This pastoral image shows three working-class men sitting on a river bank, preparing to bathe or swim. The three mean are viewed from behind, in three-quarter profile facing toward the right. The man on the far right has short hair and wears a white shirt and vest, and dark trousers. His legs are stretched out in front of him and he appears to be untying his right shoe. His face is shaded and unclear to the viewer. The man in the middle wears a straw hat and his bare back is visible, with his white shirt falling to his waist, still tucked into his trousers. The top of his right arm is visible. Like the first man, he is bent forward as if taking off his shoes. The man furthest to the left has a dark coat on and wears a flat cap. He has white hair and appears older than the other two men. His right profile is visible to the viewer as his gaze tilts his head upward, looking toward something beyond the frame of the image. His left arm reaches behind him with the palm visible to the viewer. The men sit on the bank on what appears to be a grassy knoll. In front of them, in the middleground, is the water. In the distance there is a cliff on the other shore with flat grass and the outlines of houses and trees at the top. Signed “W. Strang” in the lower right corner.