Coney Island Beach
Reginald Marsh
Description
Subject Matter:
Marsh made several prints, photographs, and paintings of the crowds at Coney Island Beach. While many other artists were documenting social conditions and the effects the Great Depression on labor and families, Marsh was concerned with the pasttimes of Americans. He sketched and photographed their leisure activies and then created prints and paintings from them. They frequently included contorted bodies involved in beach stunts with the emphasis on their physical interactions rather than their individuality. In this etching, Marsh shows some figures climbing on top of each other to form a human pyramid of some sort, while others are vying for a spot on the sand. Onlookers gaze over the balcony down at the masses.
Physical Description:
This print shows a festive, large, dense crowd of people at a beach. Some figures on the right side of the print appear to be climbing on top of each other in a human pyramid. To the left is a bridge or boardwalk that is also crowded with people.
Usage Rights:
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