A photographer’s lifelong love affair with Coney Island
- Text by Miss Rosen
- Photography by Harvey Stein
![A photographer’s lifelong love affair with Coney Island](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/195-The-Hug-Closed-Eyes-and-Smile_2023-03-27-132738_lxom.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Street photographer Harvey Stein’s lifelong love affair with Coney Island began the first time he entered Brooklyn’s famed seaside playground. It was the late 1950s, and he was 14 years old.
“I didn’t like New York, it was too big, too noisy, hot and dirty,” the Pittsburgh native remembers. “Going to Coney was a treat… As we walked the crowded boardwalk at dusk on a simmering summer day, I was mesmerized by the people. I vividly remember a fistfight between two sailors in uniforms.”
Stein resolved to return to Coney Island someday, never imagining that he would do so more than a thousand times.
In 1970, Stein returned to “America’s Playground” for a class assignment, and was captivated by the eclectic characters drawn to sun, sand, and surf. Over the next half a century, Stein would amass a singular archive of charming vignettes, a selection of which are now in view in the new exhibition, Coney Island, An Eternal Romance.
“Coney Island is about people,” he says. “It’s a melting pot of all sizes, shapes, races, ages, religions, behaviours and occupations. The amusements, the sea and the open-air all impart a kind of freedom of behaviour I don’t see anywhere else… The happiness is palatable.”
![](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/019-Happy-New-Year-Man-2010.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Happy New Year man, 2010
![Coney Island New York](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/093-Legs-in-Photo-Booth-1974.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Legs in photo booth, 1974
Because it offers the perfect blend of personalities, situations, and backdrops, Coney Island has always been catnip to street photographers like Stein. The promise of pleasure is just a mere train ride away, allowing New Yorkers of all backgrounds an escape from the harrows of everyday life.
“Every time I am there, something new occurs to photograph; whether it’s a wedding, a video being shot, models being photographed, a procession, or a Hasidic community gathering. It’s always surprising and exciting. The key is to be patient and spend time at Coney to understand its rhythms and pace.”
Through Stein’s lens, we witness a beguiling portrait of Coney Island as an ever-changing landscape that stays true to its roots despite the challenges it may face. Because it is so entrenched in the mythology of New York, the seaside amusement park and beach have survived fires, Spanish Flu, World Wars, economic depressions, gentrification and Hurricane Sandy. Now it faces its latest battle with the impact of Covid-19.
“When New York is doing well, Coney is doing well,” says Stein, finally. “When New York is going through a crisis, so too is Coney. When I began going, it was seedy, funky and sometimes dangerous, especially at night. It is now more family-friendly than in the past. Many of the ‘characters’ of Coney Island are no longer there, but it remains a fascinating place to spend the day.”
![](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/179-New-Years-Day-Run-Into-Ocean-3.04.57-PM.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
New Years Day run into the ocean
![](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/104-Amusement-Rider-1990-.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Amusement rider, 1990
![Coney Island New York](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/105-Looking-at-the-Thunderbolt-1990.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Looking at the Thunderbolt
![Coney Island New York](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/084-The-Brooklyn-Flyer-at-Luna-Park-2010.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
The Brooklyn Flyer at Luna Park
![Coney Island New York](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/087-View-from-the-Wonder-Wheel-2007.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
View from the Wonder Wheel
![Coney Island New York](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/001-Coney-Island-Sign-and-Shadow-2-2008-copy.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Coney Island sign and shadow, 2008
Harvey Stein: Coney Island, An Eternal Romance is on view online at Sous les Etoiles Gallery through July 18, 2020.
Follow Miss Rosen on Twitter.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
![Autism cannot be cured — stop trying](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/shutterstock_2322534063.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Autism cannot be cured — stop trying
A questionable study into the ‘reversal’ of autism does nothing but reinforce damaging stereotypes and harm, argues autistic author Jodie Hare.
Written by: Jodie Hare
![Bristol Photo Festival returns for second edition](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/Hashem-Shakeri-from-the-series-_Staring-into-the-Abyss_.-%C2%A9-Hashem-Shakeri.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Bristol Photo Festival returns for second edition
After the success of it’s inaugural run, the festival returns this autumn with exhibitions, education and community programmes exploring a world in constant motion through still image.
Written by: Ben Smoke
![Documenting the life of a New York gang leader paralysed by gun violence](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/web-Eyanna-has-always-been-Maliks-primary-caregiver.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Documenting the life of a New York gang leader paralysed by gun violence
New photobook ‘Say Less’ is a complex yet humanising look into a life wrecked by gun violence and organised crime.
Written by: Isaac Muk
![The woman who defined 80s Hip Hop photography](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/7_ULTRAMAGNETIC-MCS_NYC-1990.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
The woman who defined 80s Hip Hop photography
A new exhibition brings together Janette Beckman’s visionary and boundary pushing images of an era of cultural change and moral panic.
Written by: Miss Rosen
![In photos: the dogs of Dogtown](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/saguy_dogtown_02_RGB.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
In photos: the dogs of Dogtown
A new photobook documents Venice Beach’s four legged friends and their colourful cast of owners.
Written by: Isaac Muk
![Inside the battle to stop coal](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/DSC00173.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Inside the battle to stop coal
As the legal challenge against Britain’s first deep coal mine in 30 years reaches the High court, we talk to activists at the centre of the fight to stop it.
Written by: Ben Smoke