Water nymphs of the Seine

The large woman in the foreground floats faire la planche (literally to make like a board). This skill was taught by swimming teachers in the public bathhouses set up along the Seine in Paris. Daumier's water nymphs are a far cry from the mythological creatures that frolicked near fountains and streams; his figures swim with expressions of intense concentration and spew river water as they paddle about, fully covered by their bathing costumes.