George Tilyou’s Steeplechase

Reginald Marsh, George Tilyou's Steeplechase, 1932, oil and egg tempera on linen mounted on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.60
Copied Reginald Marsh, George Tilyou's Steeplechase, 1932, oil and egg tempera on linen mounted on fiberboard, 30 1⁄8 x 40 1⁄8 in. (76.5 x 101.8 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.60

Artwork Details

Title
George Tilyou’s Steeplechase
Artist
Date
1932
Location
Dimensions
30 1⁄8 x 40 1⁄8 in. (76.5 x 101.8 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil and egg tempera on linen mounted on fiberboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Recreation — sport and play — racing
  • Architecture Exterior — commercial — recreation
Object Number
1986.6.60

Artwork Description

Steeplechase Park was one of three amusement parks at Coney Island in Brooklyn. Here Marsh showed a couple astride one of the mechanical horses that raced around the Pavilion of Fun on iron rails that, in places, were as high as thirty-five feet above the ground. The nested bodies of the sailor and the girl exude the passion of young love, although the strained expression on the woman’s face may signal the transience of their affection.


Modern American Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation Collection, 2014
Gallery Label
Marsh's paintings capture the human energy of New York's crowded neighborhoods and tenements. Working class men and women of the 1930s were obliged to do their socializing in public, and this image of a popular Coney Island ride reflects the bawdy and uninhibited atmosphere of the midway. Marsh's initial drawing shows through the paint glazes, preserving the noise and hustle of the moment.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006

Exhibitions

Media - 1986.6.100 - SAAM-1986.6.100_2 - 135134
Modern American Realism: Highlights from the Sara Roby Foundation Collection
Smithsonian American Art Museum
This exhibition presents some of the most treasured paintings and sculpture from SAAM’s permanent collection, including artworks by Will Barnet, Isabel Bishop, Paul Cadmus, Edward Hopper, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Jacob Lawrence, George Tooker, among others.