Skating in Central Park
Painting on canvas • Agnes Tait
Style & Movement
American Realism / Social Realism (Public Works of Art Project)
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas, featuring fine brushwork for the winter landscape and silhouette-like figures with small dabs of color
Creation Period
1934
Dimensions & Format
Approximately 34 x 48 inches (landscape format)
Subject Description
A bustling winter scene at the Wollman Rink area in Central Park, New York. The composition features numerous ice skaters, spectators, and dogs amidst a snowy landscape with the Gapstow Bridge on the right and the Manhattan skyline in the background. It captures a democratic, joyful moment of urban leisure during the Great Depression.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Excellent. The painting appears well-preserved in a museum setting with stable pigments and intact surface texture.
Estimated Market Value
$100,000 - $250,000 (Market value for museum-grade New Deal era American Realism)
Auction Estimate
$80,000 - $150,000
Provenance History
Transferred from the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) to the Smithsonian American Art Museum collection; it was originally a government commission under the New Deal.
Art Historical Significance
A seminal work of the New Deal era, it exemplifies the 1930s movement to document American life. It is Tait's most famous work and serves as an important cultural record of New York City's public spaces during the Depression.
Notable Features
Features a distinct contrast between the delicate, bare winter trees and the dark, rhythmic silhouettes of the skaters. It includes the artist's signature in the bottom right corner and sits in a rustic, multi-layered wooden frame typical of the Depression era.
Condition Issues
Minor surface craquelure consistent with age; no visible losses, tears, or major discolorations.
Conservation Recommendations
Maintain stable environmental controls (relative humidity and temperature), prevent UV exposure, and keep in the current period-appropriate wooden frame.