A Colorful Day Out To Coney Island – 1948

Color phographs of a summer's escape from New York City

NEW YORK - CIRCA 1948: A view of the Silver Streak ride in Steeplechase Park circa 1948 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. (Photo by Sherman Oaks Antique Mall/Getty Images)

 

We first went on a day-trip to bombastic, sincere and generous Coney Island in the 1960s, a place where the straight-talking working class lapped up the fun in an America founded on security and purpose. This was confident, snooty-free America, the antithesis of knowing, sneery European high-brow culture and the affected, needy good taste that thrills only to exclude. Boy, was it fabulous. Now we go back further to see Coney Island on a summer’s day in 1948.

 

Coney Island 1948

NEW YORK - CIRCA 1948: A view of the Coney Island Boardwalk and the beach circa 1948 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. (Photo by Sherman Oaks Antique Mall/Getty Images) NEW YORK - CIRCA 1948: A view of sunbathers on Coney Island beach circa 1948 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. (Photo by Sherman Oaks Antique Mall/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - CIRCA 1948: A woman sunbathes on Coney Island beach circa 1948 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. (Photo by Sherman Oaks Antique Mall/Getty Images) NEW YORK - CIRCA 1948: A view of the famous Parachute Jump in Steeplechase Park (it was built as part of the 1939 New York World's Fair and moved to Coney Island in 1941) circa 1948 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. (Photo by Sherman Oaks Antique Mall/Getty Images)
Coney Island 1948 color beach riders NEW YORK - CIRCA 1948: Sunbathers on Coney Island beach circa 1948 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. (Photo by Sherman Oaks Antique Mall/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - CIRCA 1948: A view of Coney Island circa 1948 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. (Photo by Sherman Oaks Antique Mall/Getty Images) NEW YORK - CIRCA 1948: A view of the Coney Island boardwalk and the famous Parachute Jump in Steeplechase Park (it was built as part of the 1939 New York World's Fair and moved here in 1941) circa 1948 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. (Photo by Sherman Oaks Antique Mall/Getty Images) NEW YORK - CIRCA 1948: A view of Thew Spinning saucer and other rides at Coney Island circa 1948 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. (Photo by Sherman Oaks Antique Mall/Getty Images) NEW YORK - CIRCA 1948: An African American couple canoodle on Coney Island beach circa 1948 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. (Photo by Sherman Oaks Antique Mall/Getty Images)

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