Coney Island 1947 - 1948

Sid Grossman made this photograph, Coney Island, in the United States. Grossman belonged to a generation of photographers who turned their lenses toward the everyday lives of ordinary people. The image presents an informal gathering of friends, their smiles and embraces suggesting a moment of shared joy. Consider the context in which this photograph was made. Coney Island, in the mid-20th century, was a legendary site of recreation for working-class New Yorkers. With its beaches and amusement parks, it offered a space for people from diverse backgrounds to come together, crossing social barriers, relaxing and enjoying each other's company. As such, this image invites us to think about the public role of leisure. To understand this image fully, we might delve into the archives of the Photo League, the co-operative of politically engaged photographers to which Grossman belonged, and examine the popular magazines in which his work was published. By understanding the context in which art is made, we come to appreciate its power as a document of social life.