In the summer of 1867, Claude Monet stayed with his aunt at Sainte-Adresse, an af?uent suburb of the port city of Le Havre, near his father’s home. In his quest to capture the effects of shifts in weather and light, Monet painted The Beach at Sainte-Adresse out-of-doors on an overcast day. He devoted the majority of the composition to the sea, sky, and beach.