Collection
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American Art

East River Park

William Glackens

Brooklyn Museum photograph

Object Label

William Glackens found ample subject matter in the parks of New York and the city dwellers who frequented them. Here he depicted the natural features of the East River Park, and the pastimes of its inhabitants, in sharp contrast to the bustling industrial setting of Brooklyn's waterfront visible across the water. For the many immigrants living in small, cramped quarters, the urban parks of Brooklyn and Manhattan served as a refuge from the poor conditions and overcrowding of tenement life.

Caption

William Glackens (American, 1870–1938). East River Park, ca. 1902. Oil on canvas, 25 7/8 x 32in. (65.7 x 81.3cm) frame: 36 1/2 x 42 5/8 x 3 in. (92.7 x 108.3 x 7.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 41.1085. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Collection

American Art

Title

East River Park

Date

ca. 1902

Medium

Oil on canvas

Classification

Painting

Dimensions

25 7/8 x 32in. (65.7 x 81.3cm) frame: 36 1/2 x 42 5/8 x 3 in. (92.7 x 108.3 x 7.6 cm)

Signatures

Signed lower left: "W. Glackens"

Credit Line

Dick S. Ramsay Fund

Accession Number

41.1085

Frequent Art Questions

  • The label for this says Brooklyn waterfront is across. do you know where? Or is any of the businesses depicted here are still standing or in operation?

    This painting depicts the OLD East River Park, which is now called "Carl Schurz Park."
    Oh. Where's that?
    It's located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. If you looked out over the East River from this point today, you'd see Astoria, Queens. I used to live right in that area! You'd see brick apartment buildings and some warehouses from this vantage point.
    Carl Schurz Park is located along FDR Drive in Manhattan, adjacent to the tip of Roosevelt Island.
    Oh, I think I know it.
    Most, if not all, of the buildings you see in this painting are long gone. There isn't much industry in the Astoria area any more as it has become quite residential.
    Fun Fact: Carl Schurz Park is located near Gracie Mansion, where the mayor lives.

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Artists and makers

William Glackens

11 works in the collection