Warm Up With a Brighton Beach Tango (Photos)
Has the idea of warmer weather ahead got you dreaming about days at the beach? Until that beach weather arrives, live vicariously through these photos of Brighton Beach bathers dancing away in the early 20th century.
Photo via Library of Congress
Has the idea of warmer weather ahead got you dreaming about days at the beach? Until that beach weather arrives, live vicariously through these photos of Brighton Beach bathers dancing away in the early 20th century.
Titled “Beach Tango, Brighton” the pictures were taken between 1910 and 1915, as the tango craze was reaching the U.S. Considered a bit risqué, the Argentinian dance brought controversy as it spread throughout Europe and then to North America.
In Brooklyn, the Daily Eagle ran articles around the time with headlines blaring “Brooklyn M.D.s Shake Their Heads and Say Shaking the Tango Is No Help to the Health” and “Tango Not Vulgar to Parisian Eyes.”
Photo via Library of Congress
No photographer is credited, but the photos are all from Bain News Service, a picture news agency that distributed images to media outlets.
Related Stories
- The Cyclone Turns 90: Coney Island’s Famed Coaster Through the Years (Photos)
- Of Borscht and English Resorts: How Brighton Beach Got Its Name
- How to Get to Coney Island in the 1890s? Hold On for Your Life
Email tips@brownstoner.com with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.
What's Your Take? Leave a Comment