Bathing urchins under the Brooklyn Bridge. An open Brooklyn Public Dock from which
many artist have gathered material for pictures.
-George Bellows
Bellows approached the young people, the "river rats" swarming the banks of the Hudson
river, with the same objective eye he used to record the scavanging canines in Hungry
Dogs. The children were a part of the hustle and bustle of city life, swimming,
diving, fighting, or just lounging around. The youthful exuberance of these figures
were set against the monolithic background of Manhattan's skyscrapers viewed from across the river.
