Martin Lewis was a 20th century painter and printmaker better known for his mesmerizing etchings of New York’s darkened corners and shadowy streets, illuminated by lamp light and store signs.
But some of his urban landscapes bring people and buildings out of the shadows and into daylight—like in this image.
Here, two women sit on a tenement rooftop, one enjoying the timeless ritual of catching some sun on a New York roof.
Disapproving mother and young, attractive daughter? Lewis completed this etching in 1935. While it might be the Depression, the city before us is inviting and limitless—and it belongs to the daughter.
Tags: Martin Lewis etching, Martin Lewis New York, New York in the 1930s, Sunbathing Roof New York City, Tar Beach New York, Tenement Roof NYC
Ephemeral New York 
July 8, 2019 at 6:34 am |
Beautifully described! And so true! Such a great picture!
July 8, 2019 at 8:58 am |
[…] Source: FS – NYC Real Estate Taking a sunbath on a Depression-era city roof […]
July 8, 2019 at 9:22 am |
[…] Tar beach, Martin Lewis […]
July 8, 2019 at 10:38 am |
[…] Source: FS – NYC Real Estate Taking a sunbath on a Depression-era city roof […]
July 8, 2019 at 11:40 am |
Disapproving? That’s how old ladies sat in the Bronx, in a perpetual state of judgement and martyred discomfort.
July 8, 2019 at 3:03 pm |
And I’m sure 25 years later the daughter, now older and heavier, sat on a tar roof admonishing her daughter, and on and on
July 8, 2019 at 2:31 pm |
My compliments to the editor for this caption. “While it might be the Depression, the city before us is inviting and limitless—and it belongs to the daughter.”, capturing the remembrances of old sins and the promise of a new beginning tomorrow. Well done.
July 9, 2019 at 3:24 am |
Thank you! I hope I’m channeling the artist.
July 8, 2019 at 10:06 pm |
This reminds me of another one of your great entries “Sixth Avenue North From 47th Street”
July 9, 2019 at 3:23 am |
That’s one of my favorites too, thanks Ricky!
July 11, 2019 at 2:41 am |
I’ve been a big fan of this guy’s work since discovering this blog but have never come across this image before. Did it recently make its way to the Internet? I wonder how much more of his work is out there
August 29, 2019 at 3:43 am |
I’ve been a fan for a while, too, and though I thought I’d seen all of his work, this one suddenly turned up in a simple Google search. More must be out there; I love discovering them. A New York museum really needs to do an exhibit.
September 7, 2019 at 4:34 pm |
Love it. And thank you so much for these wonderful peeks into a place that I love.
February 24, 2020 at 5:47 am |
[…] Some are on rooftops or in alleys, others portray people working the night shift as the rest of the city is safe in well-lit apartments. Laundry hangs on lines; tenements are dwarfed by the glowing interiors of towering buildings. […]
October 3, 2022 at 1:22 am |
[…] Lewis also looked to roofs as if they were theater stages, capturing the cryptic scenes that played out on them. Case in point is the mysterious woman in a […]