River Front

Saul Berman, River Front, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.169
Copied Saul Berman, River Front, 1934, oil on canvas, 16 x 24 in. (40.7 x 61.1 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.169

Artwork Details

Title
River Front
Artist
Date
1934
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
16 x 24 in. (40.7 x 61.1 cm.)
Credit Line
Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • New Deal — Public Works of Art Project — New York City
  • Occupation — service — street sweeper
  • Architecture Exterior — industry — shipyard
  • Cityscape — New York — New York
  • Cityscape — river — East River
  • Cityscape — wharf
  • Figure group — male
  • Occupation — industry — lumber
  • Cityscape — weather — snow
Object Number
1964.1.169
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1964.1.169

Artwork Description

Saul Berman's detailed, reportorial painting shows workers busily clearing snow from the New York Navy Yard during the challenging winter of 1933–1934. Piles of timbers recall the fleets of sailing and steamships built by these shipyards on the East River in Brooklyn for the United States Navy and for commercial use since the eighteenth century. However, as the empty dry docks along the river in the background show, during the fall and winter of that year New York shipyard workers often had nothing better to do than clear snow.

The old brick building in the foreground displays the Blue Eagle symbol of the National Recovery Administration in its window to indicate that the lumber company adheres to the NRA's codes for prices, wages, and work hours. The negotiation of NRA codes set off strikes in many industries, and the shipbuilding business was no exception. In early 1934, after the strikes were settled, New York shipyards still lacked work and pleaded for federal government projects to keep men employed. A few years later World War II would bring record numbers of workers to the shipyards that languish idle here under gray skies.

1934: A New Deal for Artists exhibition label

Related Books

1934_500.jpg
1934: A New Deal for Artists
During the Great Depression, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised a “new deal for the American people,” initiating government programs to foster economic recovery. Roosevelt’s pledge to help “the forgotten man” also embraced America’s artists. The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) enlisted artists to capture “the American Scene” in works of art that would embellish public buildings across the country. Although it lasted less than one year, from December 1933 to June 1934, the PWAP provided employment for thousands of artists, giving them an important role in the country’s recovery. Their legacy, captured in more than fifteen thousand artworks, helped “the American Scene” become America seen.