untitled, W. Eugene Smith

Summer gatherings are marked by distinctive flavors, sights, sounds, and smells. We lug our lawn chairs and sunscreen all over town, listen to the whir of lawnmowers, and associate the aroma of bug spray and fireworks with the Fourth of July. Such events often include eating, and we delight in plastic dinnerware, corn on the cob, fresh watermelon, and the prospect of ordering food on a stick or funnel cake from carnival vendors. A summer party can be refined or raucous, from wedding receptions to outdoor concerts. Fairfield Porter’s July presents the quiet interactions of a few friends enjoying an afternoon in the backyard. In Weegee’s photograph of Coney Island hardly a spot of sand can even be seen as beachcomers crowd the landscape. As summer typically finds our schedules more open, our social calendars fill with family reunions, picnics, and trips to the beach or the fair.