102 Items in this Learning Collection
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Copyright
All Rights Reserved ()

Beach Accident, Coney Island, New York

Accession Number
2003/2.75

Title
Beach Accident, Coney Island, New York

Artist(s)
Margaret Bourke-White

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1952; printed circa 1950s

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper mounted on masonite

Dimensions
75 1/2 in x 60 in (191.77 cm x 152.4 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Carl R. Withers

Subject matter
This aerial photograph of Coney Island beach represents the aftermath of a swimming accident. A large group of people congregate in a large mass around Mary Eschner, who had nearly drowned in the Atlantic just moments earlier. It appears that even more people are gathering to see what has happened. The bird's eye vantage of the photograph allows the viewer to discern the size as well as the spiraling, hurricane-like shape of the gathering cluster of spectators, a form of visual access unavailable to those on the ground. Published in LIFE magazine, Bourke-White's powerful image transformed Eichner's personal trauma into the subject of nation-wide interest. 

Physical Description
Aerial view of a beach on which a swimming accident has occurred. A group of people swarm to the central location and focal point of the photograph, where the injured person lies.

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Primary Object Type
black and white print

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
accidents
aerial photographs
amusement parks
beaches
bodies of water (natural)
groups of people
swimming

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& Author Notes

All Rights Reserved