Merry-Go-Round

1930

Merry-Go-Round, 1930. Reginald Marsh (American, 1898–1954). Etching; platemark: 17.5 x 24.8 cm (6 7/8 x 9 3/4 in.); sheet: 21.4 x 29.4 cm (8 7/16 x 11 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1948.437 © Estate of Reginald Marsh / Art Students League, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Reginald Marsh was an obsessive chronicler of city life who worked a generation after the Ashcan School artists but was interested in the same urban subjects. Drawn to the popular entertainments and nightspots of the era, Marsh captured here the squeeze of patrons as they spin on a merry-go-round. His emphasis on the dramatic tilt of the ride creates an oblique viewing angle, thrusting us into near-physical contact with the riders as we notice the additional thrill of the woman’s fluttering skirt as she whirls by. The merry-go-round at Coney Island opened in 1906 and still runs today; it was a signature attraction at the Luna Park amusement park.