Compare this 1906 view of Front Beach with this one from 1905 and this one from 1935. It is interesting that the 1905 card shows the beach almost deserted, with the tide out, whereas this one shows a crowded beach at high tide. Everyone seems oblivious to the camera except the boy at lower center, who seems to be looking right at the photographer.

Besides the clothing, something else struck me as different than the scene would be on this beach nowadays. There is not a beach blanket, beach chair or beach toy in sight. As a matter of fact, there are not many people sitting at all. Almost everyone is standing.

This postcard is by Charles H. Cleaves and bears a 1906 copyright mark. That would put it about a year before Cleaves founded the Rockport Photo Bureau.