Harold Feinstein (American, 1931-2015)
Gyro Ride at Night, Coney Island, NY, 1949
Photograph
7.25 x 7.25 in
Gift of Chester J. Straub
When photographer Harold Feinstein died in 2015, the New York Times declared him “one of the most accomplished recorders of the American experience” for his collections of photographs of Coney Island. Feinstein’s career as a photographer began when he was only fifteen in 1946, and he rose to prominence quickly, becoming part of the MoMA’s permanent collection by 1950. He was beloved as a teacher and boasted a diverse photography portfolio, but the Coney Island native is best known for his Coney Island collections – photographs spanning six decades from the 1940s to the 1990s.
Gyro Ride at Night, from the beginning of Feinstein’s career, captures a group of spectators watching a nighttime carnival ride on the Coney Island boardwalk. The long exposure photograph beautifully dramatizes the lights of the spinning contraption, giving the illusion of an orb completely alight. That the photograph is black and white adds to its ethereality; the viewer forgets this is a familiar setting. We might be looking at an alien spaceship, a planet, or the creation of a star.
The long exposure creates a certain estrangement of the crowd of spectators as well. Slightly ghostly, blurred at their edges, the crowd of fairgoers gives the viewer the impression of time passing, as though we are watching an amusement park line move in fast motion. Each of us knows what it feels like to stand as part of such a crowd. We can feel the anticipation of the ride, the energy of the others on the boardwalk, and the simple pleasure of watching the lights of the beautiful machine. Gyro Ride at Night represents the electricity of a new experience shared with strangers. In 2021, Feinstein’s photograph provokes nostalgia for a time when that novelty was more commonplace.
Feinstein has work in the permanent collections of museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, Musee d’Art Moderne, the Jewish Museum, and the International Center of Photography. He was published during his life in several periodicals including Life, The New York Times Magazine, Oprah Magazine, Modern Photography, and Popular Photography. He died at age 84 in June, 2015.
References
“Bio.” Harold Feinstein Photographer, 14 Oct. 2020, www.haroldfeinstein.com/bio/.
Grimes, William. “Harold Feinstein Dies at 84; Froze New York Moments in Black and White.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 June 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/06/30/arts/harold-feinstein-dies-at-84-froze-new-york-moments-in-black-and-white.html?_r=0.
-Caroline Webster ’21