From the collection of:
Clara M. Eagle Gallery, Murray State University || VAM Home

This etching depicts figures in silhouette fishing at Central Park Lake. Beyond the trees and foliage, the New York City skyline is visible in the distance.

About the Artist

New York artist and architect William Sanger was the first husband of Margaret Sanger, the well-known American birth control activist. The couple married around 1900 and had three children. By 1910, the Sangers and their children moved from Westchester to New York City. William Sanger wanted to give up his work as a draftsman to try his hand at painting, while Margaret Sanger returned to nursing to help support the family. The Sangers also became immersed in the pre-World War I radical bohemian culture flourishing in Greenwich Village, joining a circle of intellectuals, activists, and artists that included Max Eastman, John Reed, Upton Sinclair, Mabel Dodge, and Emma Goldman. In 1915, William was jailed for 30 days for distributing a copy of one of Margaret’s bulletins on birth control, “Family Limitation,” to an undercover postal agent.

The couple separated sometime after 1914, when Margaret Sanger went to England. William Sanger later married one of his models.

Classroom Ideas

Discussion: Can you tell what time of day it is in this print? How do you know? Can you tell what city appears in the background? How? What is the mood of this work?

Activity: Create a composition in which the figures are drawn as silhouettes. Is this easier or more difficult than drawing the figures in full detail? How does it affect the feel of the work?