Labor and Leisure
During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Eastern coast of the United States was a hub of commercial activity and offered economic opportunities in the growing young nation. As individuals and communities became more dependent on coastal opportunities in trade, industry, and communication, unique cultures and relationships began to take shape around the coast.
Access to the Atlantic Ocean also made the coastline a destination for leisure. Over the last few decades of the nineteenth century, America’s tourism industry encouraged the expansion of seaside resorts, recreational fishing, and beaches that attracted visitors seeking both beauty and escape.
Thus, these dual modes of interaction—labor and leisure—coexisted at the coastline. American artists fall somewhere between these two poles. Inspired by both the intensity of maritime labor and the sublime landscape, many began establishing artist colonies, making long retreats to the seaside, and experimenting with a rich range of subjects and mediums.