“To Coney Island” By William Henry Bishop

This essay was first published in Scribner’s Monthly Illustrated Magazine in July 1880. An excerpt was included in John and Louis Parascandola’s excellent Coney Island Reader (Columbia University Press, 2015), who attributed the article to William Henry Bishop (1847-1928), an American writer, critic, editor, and teacher, and who also served as an American consul in Italy.

Bishop’s description of his Coney Island experience is filled with details, observations, and some mild social commentary and language that folks may find objectionable. The Coney Island Museum’s intention in sharing this article is to give readers a rare glimpse into an era of Coney Island’s history — 144 years ago — that many may not be familiar with.

The essay also features some very fine illustrations, including work by Douglas Volk (1856-1935), American portrait and figure painter, teacher at Cooper Union and the Art Students League of New York, as well as one of the founders of the Minneapolis School of Fine Art.

As the summer of 2024 comes slowly to its end, the CIM is grateful to all the visitors who came out to the Museum and supported its mission. If you weren’t able to visit over the summer, there’s still plenty of time to head out  — To Coney Island — and the CIM!