Vintage Photography, People
March 10, 2010

Ukulele and Guitar at Steeplechase Park, Coney Island

http://www.jamesmaherphotography.com/images/0000/0711/Coney_Island_ukulele.jpg

This photograph is probably from around the mid to late 1940's at the old Steeplechase Park Pool in Coney Island.  My grandfather is on the left playing the Ukulele.  You can see the roller coaster in the background.

I've been meaning to post a lot more of these old photographs, but it's just too time consuming to retouch them.  I normally enjoy retouching, but not so much when it entails taking every bit of dust and every scratch off of a 60+ year photo. 

My original goal was to retouch one or two a week to printable standards, and build up a portfolio of my grandparents images to eventually sell on the site. But I think for now it'll be best to retouch them just to look good for the web.  That way I will be able to post these more often.

Oh, and this photo makes me excited for the warm weather, which it seems has hit us much earlier than usual.


*If you like the photos in this post please help me spread the word by sharing. Thanks.



3 Comments for "Ukulele and Guitar at Steeplechase Park, Coney Island"
Derek Nelson says:
March 03, 2011 14:43
Wow, this is amazing. Its a shame that this piece of history isn't around anymore.....
Martin T. Reda says:
April 19, 2011 11:29
The photograph brought back many memories of a better time. My family had a room (today it is called a cabana) at Steeplechase Park from 1945 through 1958. I spent every summer enjoying the pool and the people. Everyone knew each other and it was like a huge family gathering. We would get to the pool at approximately 9:30 AM and leave at 4:30 PM. On Tuesdays we would stay late and go on the rides, then grab a hot dog at Nathan's. After that we would go onto the beach and watch the Schaeffer Beer fireworks display. I could talk for hours about my experiences at Steeplechase but I do not want to bore you. Thank you for the photo and rekindling great memories. Marty
James Maher says:
April 20, 2011 10:15
So happy to hear this photo brought back great memories Martin! I would love to hear about your experiences at Steeplechase! It certainly wouldn't bore me in the least bit.