Bathing Party
These swimmers are likely cooling off at a sandy beach known as Dandy Point, north of the shipyards where Thirteenth Street met the East River. Comments about urban swimming in this period often refer to rowdy groups of naked male youths, but Chappel illustrates what one historian later described as mixed groups—"the men at one spot the women at another, chang[ing] good garments for old ones." Still, some boys must have indeed been raucous, as the council passed a law in 1803 outlawing "the practice of swimming or playing and sporting in the water . . . between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m." on Sundays.
Artwork Details
- Title: Bathing Party
- Artist: William P. Chappel (American, 1801–1878)
- Date: 1870s
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on slate paper
- Dimensions: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 in. (15.6 x 23.5 cm)
- Credit Line: The Edward W. C. Arnold Collection of New York Prints, Maps, and Pictures, Bequest of Edward W. C. Arnold, 1954
- Object Number: 54.90.514
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.