A detailed genre painting by William Shayer depicting a busy morning scene at a coastal harbour with fishermen, horses, and sailing vessels.

William Shayer was a prolific British painter known for his depictions of rural life and coastal scenes. This work, The Start Of The Day, captures a busy morning at a harbour. The composition focuses on the activity of local fishermen and their families as they prepare for the day ahead. Horses and donkeys, laden with baskets, stand near the water, while figures in traditional attire interact in the foreground. The scene is set against a backdrop of sailing vessels moored at the shore, their masts reaching into a soft, pale sky.

Shayer employed a palette of muted earth tones, which reflects the early morning light. The painting demonstrates his ability to balance human activity with the natural environment. The foreground contains various objects, such as woven baskets and discarded timber, which add texture to the sandy ground. The figures are rendered with attention to their clothing and posture, providing a glimpse into the daily routines of nineteenth-century coastal communities. The light source appears to come from the left, casting gentle shadows and creating a sense of depth across the beach.

As a practitioner of genre painting, Shayer often focused on the lives of ordinary people. His work frequently features animals, particularly horses, which were a recurring subject throughout his career. This piece is representative of his style, which prioritised clarity and narrative detail. The atmosphere is calm, suggesting the quiet anticipation of the morning before the full intensity of the day begins. The arrangement of the figures and the placement of the boats guide the viewer's eye across the canvas, from the intimate foreground interactions to the broader maritime activity in the distance. This print captures the technical precision and observational quality characteristic of Shayer's mid-century output.