Partial Rockaway Beach Scene; verso: Two Caricatured Faces 1854 - 1861

Curator: This delicate pencil sketch is titled "Partial Rockaway Beach Scene," created by Sanford Robinson Gifford. Editor: It feels so fleeting, almost dreamlike. The figure in the water appears so vulnerable, as if the ocean could swallow them whole. Curator: Gifford, of course, was a prominent figure in the Hudson River School, capturing the American landscape during a period of immense social and industrial change. The sketch might point towards leisure and the accessibility of beaches but there are more ways we can interpret it. Editor: Absolutely. When looking at this, I also wonder if this scene of leisure and recreation was available to all. Who had the privilege of escaping to Rockaway Beach, and what social structures enabled that? It’s difficult to ignore the context of class and race. Curator: Good point. Rockaway became a popular resort in the 19th century, linked to New York by rail. Images like this played a role in constructing a vision of American identity and belonging. Editor: This seemingly simple sketch allows us to consider those complexities. Curator: Indeed. It is a brief glimpse into a world both familiar and historically distant.