Photographs of Atlantic City Sand Sculpture (ca. 1880–1920) — The Public Domain ReviewHomeEssaysCollectionsExploreSourcesShopSupport PDRAboutBlog SearchSearch The Public Domain ReviewSupport PDREssaysCollectionsExploreSourcesShopAboutBlogXBlueskyCollections / ImagesPhotographs of Atlantic City Sand Sculpture (ca. 1880–1920)
Photograph of the sand sculptor James J. Taylor captioned: “The Sandman, Atlantic City, N.J.”, ca. 1880–1901.
New Jersey’s Atlantic City emerged as a booming Edwardian seaside destination in the 1870s. From its famed boardwalk (the first in the United States), tourists could reach hotels and restaurants, catch vaudeville acts, and take donkey rides. They could dip (in heavy, full-coverage bathing costumes) into the chilled Atlantic surf. They could also take in the work of local “sand men”, buskers who made their living sculpting intricate scenes in the dunes just off the boardwalk and vying for tips.Though their medium was ephemeral, these enterprising artists’ work is preserved in photographs intended for picture postcards. Their subjects — a slain soldier next to his fallen horse, Christ on the cross, lions and snakes, a buxom mermaid — were rendered in high relief, using saltwater-soaked sand. In some photographs, the artist can be seen working, scraping away in shirtsleeves and balmorals. Execution ranged from the impressive to the crude. On the one hand, there’s Jesus with arm veins visible, and a (potentially shipwrecked) mother and child swathed in damp, translucent cloth. On the other, an elephant buckling over its cartoonishly underdeveloped legs. In all cases, the scale is impressive: life-size and then some.The public historian Holly Metz reports that Atlantic City sand sculptors numbered in the dozens, though few of their names make it down to us today. The cast included the intrepid James J. Taylor, dressed in a suit and derby hat in photographs, who once offered a cash prize for any sand sculptor that could best him, and a number of African American artists (such as the one-armed sculptor Owen Golden), some of whom crossed the color line to sculpt on segregated beaches. Unfortunately, many surviving images of African American sand artists were re-touched to make them appear white. “A common practice, according to postcard archivists", writes Metz.Scroll through the whole page to download all images before printing.Postcard from 1910 captioned: “Sand Artist, showing automobile made out of Sand, Atlantic City, N.J.” Photographed by Herman Becher and printed in Germany — Source.
Scroll through the whole page to download all images before printing.Postcard from 1910 captioned: “Sand Artist, Showing Automobile Made Out of Sand, Atlantic City, N.J.” Photographed by Herman Becher and printed in the United States. The unnamed African American artist has been retouched to make him appear white — Source.
At least at first, the buskers were a welcome presence, appearing in enthusiastic local newspaper coverage as early as 1897. Later, they seem to have earned the ire of Atlantic City administrators, who began to legislate sand artists. Public ordinance put the kibosh on religious and naked figures, banned advertisements for local business, and required permits.If trouble-making sand men are difficult to picture, their postcards do bear traces of some possibly abrasive self-promotion. Variations on the refrain “Don’t Forget the Worker”, a reminder to tip, appear often: so too do some chest-thumping lines championing the sand sculpture art form, including, underlined, “The Key-Note of All Art”.By the early 1940s, the career was in decline. Some sand men had begun to seal their works with a cement coating, raising complaints about sand sculpting’s corruption. In 1944, Metz writes, a hurricane reworked the shorefront, destroying stretches of boardwalk and the sand men’s displays. It was then that the first generation of New Jersey sand sculpting tradition, too, went out with the tide.Text by Thea Applebaum LichtEnjoyed this piece? We need your help to keep publishing.The PDR is a non-profit project kept alive by reader donations – no ads, no paywalls, just the generosity of our community. It’s a really exciting model, but we need your help to keep it thriving. Visit our support page to become a Friend and receive our themed postcard packs. Or give a one-off donation. Already a supporter? A huge thank you for making all this possible.Support PDRMediumImagesThemeMusic & ArtsStylePhotographySculptureEpoch20th CenturyTagssand4sculpture6outsider art4SourceLibrary of CongressMore Library of Congress content on PDR (137)Underlying Work RightsPD WorldwideDigital Copy RightsNo Additional RightsSource states “no known restrictions”
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Scroll through the whole page to download all images before printing.“The Sandman, Atlantic City, N.J.”, ca. 1880–1901.
Scroll through the whole page to download all images before printing.Sand modelling in Atlantic City, ca. 1890–1910.
Scroll through the whole page to download all images before printing.Sand modelling in Atlantic City, ca. 1900–1920.
Scroll through the whole page to download all images before printing.A “sand man” in Atlantic City, 1906.
Scroll through the whole page to download all images before printing.A “sand man” in Atlantic City, 1906.
Scroll through the whole page to download all images before printing.A “sand man”, probably in Atlantic City, ca. 1890–1910.
Scroll through the whole page to download all images before printing.A “sand man” in Atlantic City, ca. 1890–1910.
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The emergence of Atlantic City as a thriving Edwardian seaside destination in the 1870s provided a context for the development of sand sculpting in the region. Tourists could access the area via the boardwalk, which was the first of its kind in the United States, where they could engage in various leisure activities, such as dipping into the Atlantic surf and interacting with local buskers known as "sand men" who created intricate scenes in the dunes for tips. These ephemeral artistic creations are preserved in photographs intended for picture postcards, capturing subjects ranging from scenes involving slain soldiers and religious figures to buxom mermaids, all rendered in high relief using saltwater-soaked sand. The execution of these sculptures varied greatly, ranging from highly detailed depictions to cruder forms, demonstrating impressive scale.

The documentation of these artists is limited, as public historian Holly Metz reports that dozens of sand sculptors existed, though few names survive in historical records. Notable figures included James J. Taylor, who competed for prizes, and several African American artists, such as Owen Golden, who sometimes sculpted on segregated beaches. A significant issue in the surviving imagery is the practice of retouching photographs, especially those of African American artists, to make them appear white, a common practice among postcard archivists.

Initially, the presence of these buskers was welcomed in local media coverage starting as early as 1897. However, this presence eventually led to conflict with Atlantic City administrators, resulting in the implementation of public ordinances that regulated the sand artists. These regulations restricted the depiction of religious and naked figures, banned advertisements for local businesses, and required permits for sculpting activities. Postcards occasionally reveal a tendency toward self-promotion from the sand men, featuring phrases like "Don't Forget the Worker" or championing the art form as "The Key-Note of All Art."

The career of sand sculpting began to decline by the early 1940s, partly due to changes in artistic practice, such as some sculptors beginning to seal their works with cement coatings, which generated further complaints about the art form's integrity. A major disruption occurred in 1944 when a hurricane damaged the shoreline, destroying portions of the boardwalk and the sand artists' displays, marking the end of the first generation of the New Jersey sand sculpting tradition.