Fifth Avenue, 1909 1941

John Sloan's 1941 etching, "Fifth Avenue, 1909," captures the bustling energy of New York City's iconic thoroughfare. The scene depicts a crowd of stylishly-dressed pedestrians, including a prominent woman in a wide-brimmed hat, walking down the street towards the Flatiron Building. The detailed, gritty lines of the etching provide a sense of both movement and urban realism, characteristic of Sloan's Ashcan School style, a movement that focused on portraying the everyday life of working-class New Yorkers.