American

Reginald Marsh

U.S. 1870-1954
Tug Boat -New York Harbor OP 115

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In the 1930s, Reginald Marsh was commissioned for two mural projects, Post War America, for the Museum of Modern Art, which was never executed full scale, and a cycle for the Custom House rotunda. Both included paintings of tugs and other boats in New York harbor. It is likely that this work was related to one of those two projects. Until 1930 Marsh worked mainly as a newspaper illustrator, but he soon took up painting, first oil, then watercolor, egg tempera, and Chinese ink. During the 1930s he became well known for his portrayal of New York "types," concentrating on the shabby and tawdry, cheap and grubby street life of the Bowery district in New York. He was capable of great satire against wealthy and complacent New Yorkers.

 

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