[Coney Island]

Four reproductions (wood engravings and drawings), probably from a 19th century illustrated publication. Clockwise from top left: Coney Island, from a barren stretch of beach, began to develop into a real pleasure resort after the close of the Civil War. The three-card monte man plied his calling unhampered by watchful police; The beach at the same time began, in a quiet way, to attract pleasure seekers from the city. Bathing gowns, it may be noted, were designed more for modesty than for comfort or style. Shacks along the beach served as shelters for spectators; For those who would go to the Island by road there was the ubiquitous toll gate, where fare for passage was exacted; The first train to Coney Island was a weird affair. It was the acme of slow transit and the accomodations were primitive in the extreme. (On recto: Ho! for the Cooling Breezes, and Coney Island.)