Although, Florence Carlyle was born in Galt, Ontario, she moved to Woodstock as a young girl. Carlyle spent six years studying in France, under established artists. Upon returning to Canada in 1896, Carlyle alternated between Woodstock, London, and New York. Sea Breezes, displays the commercial side of Carlyle’s work that enabled her to earn a living as a female artist. After Carlyle won a competition sponsored by the Osborne Calendar Company of New York, Osborne commissioned Carlyle to produce twelve paintings per year. Painted in1908, Sea Breezes displays an acceptable subject for a female artist; a middle-class women in a state of femininity. Men on the other hand, were given more artistic freedom in relation to subjects and themes. The woman featured on the deck is likely Carlyle’s cousin, Helene. In 1968 Sea Breezes was the first work by Florence Carlyle to be acquired by the Woodstock Art Gallery.