Harry Shokler, Waterfront--Brooklyn, ca. 1934, oil on canvas, 28 x 40 in. (71.1 x 101.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.121
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Waterfront – Brooklyn
- Artist
- Date
- ca. 1934
- Location
- Dimensions
- 28 x 40 in. (71.1 x 101.6 cm.)
- Credit Line
- Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- oil on canvas
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Figure group
- Cityscape — New York — Brooklyn
- Cityscape — river — East River
- Cityscape — wharf
- Architecture — industry — shipyard
- Cityscape — weather — snow
- Cityscape — New York — Manhattan
- New Deal — Public Works of Art Project — New York City
- Object Number
- 1964.1.121
Artwork Description
This image shows a busy Brooklyn harbor with a view of Manhattan in the distance. Many artists during the 1930s focused on laborers and industrial scenes to emphasize the value of hard work in pulling the country out of the Depression. The smoking chimneys, groups of workers, and tracks in the snow evoke a sense of activity and perseverance in the face of hardship. To Americans in the 1930s, the skyscrapers of New York symbolized the city’s achievements and sustained the hope that the country’s economy would recover.