Rockaway Beach, Food Concession, 1940

Completed in the 1930s, the Rockaway Boardwalk runs 5.5 miles and, like Coney before it, started out as a far-flung resort area that gained in popularity once it was fully accessible via subway. What we are looking at here is a stylish convergence of food and fashion—note the Moderne typography of the concessions stand and the demure summer-white suits of the sun-seekers. It's relatively peaceful and serene—most unlike some of the more densely populated beach and pool images from the past we've seen lately. Whether this pair of ladies was headed off in search of an egg cream or an ice cream we cannot say, as the bill of fare (and the bathers' identities) has been lost to the ages. And while the Rockaways have had their ups and downs, cut to 70+ years hence and you'll find that food and fashion are once again at play here in the good ole summertime.