Morris had captured images of the famous Jersey Wash Day, also variously known as Salt Water Day, Ocean Day, Farmer’s Wash Day, and Beach Day, among others. It was a tradition held by farmers living in a radius of twenty or thirty miles from the shore. Once a year on the second Saturday of August, these locals would gather at the beach for a sort-of harvest celebration, with picnics and bathing in the ocean.  No sources I looked at could pin-point exactly when this tradition began. Some claimed a Native American origin based on (likely false) stories of ancient clam bakes by the sea. Most scholars today debunk this as myth. According to various contemporary sources, the event seems to have started small. It existed at least before 1853, long before the area became a popular tourist destination, when Robert Stockton bought up the sea-side land in the area and named it Sea Girt. Similar excursions also happened around Raritan Bay and South Amboy. The Sea Girt holiday seems to have picked up speed as the century progressed, with crowds swelling larger and larger and the celebrations becoming more involved. By the time Morris began photographing the event, Salt Water Day had become a festival ground on the beach, with games to play and food vendors selling treats.