Art
In the early 1900s, beach visits became a popular escape for working families and city dwellers. This 1916 lithograph captures the casual chaos of a public beach—a new kind of everyday leisure that shaped how Americans spent their rare free time.
Art · Full story
The sand is packed shoulder to shoulder. Men in heavy wool suits wade into the surf while women in long skirts gather at the water's edge, their hats and parasols dotting the beach like umbrellas. Children dart between grown-ups, splinters from old wooden pilings catching at bare feet and stockings.
Reflect
Where do you go today to escape your everyday routine? What makes that place feel like a break?