A little historical context goes a long way in this Marjory Collins photograph
Three young boys in bicycle caps cool their heels on the Hains Point fence, watching boats sail by on the Potomac. Dappled sunlight filters through the willow branches billowing above them. Washington, D.C. Sunday cyclists watching sailboats is a moment of damn near idyllic summer relaxation; a perfect Sunday out in the park.
The scene in our new Marjory Collins edition takes an interesting turn when you consider the date it was created: summer of 1942. The United States had joined World War II just six months prior. This image is undeniably ease-inducing, so it’s hard to imagine the context in which it was captured. There was unrest abroad and thousands of Americans at home, waiting for their sons, husbands, and brothers to return. Marjory Collins shot Washington, D.C. Sunday cyclists watching sailboats during her time on Roy Stryker’s team of FSA photographers documenting the home front for the Office of War Information.
Collins was active in the summer of 1942 — both of our Marjory Collins editions were taken in that span of time — and despite the difficult climate in the country, her work depicted all-American summers full of picnics, bike rides, and visits to the swimming pool. Was she attempting to project something more picturesque? Happier? Was she hoping to provide strength by portraying the simple pleasures of American life, by emphasizing our ability to keep on keeping on? Or was she simply capturing what was in front of her with her artful eye, paying homage to these essential summer scenes?
Questions like these keep us coming back to Marjory Collins’ work, and are precisely what will make Washington, D.C. Sunday cyclists watching sailboats a wonderful addition to your wall.
