In the Subway

1921

In the Subway, 1921. George Bellows (American, 1882–1925). Lithograph; platemark: 21.4 x 17.8 cm (8 7/16 x 7 in.); sheet: 24.7 x 20.4 cm (9 3/4 x 8 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. 1937.502 Public transportation offered one of the various forms of entertainment to be had in the city: people watching. Here, George Bellows captured an amorous couple in a jolly mood who smile across the aisle at other travelers on a night out. The first subway line in New York City, from City Hall in lower Manhattan to Harlem, opened in 1904. By 1920, there were three lines covering the city’s outer boroughs and both sides of Manhattan. For five cents each, couples could go almost anywhere in the city for a night out on the town. The somewhat old-fashioned clothing of this couple by 1920s New York standards suggests that they may be recent immigrants to the city from Europe.