Painting the Elephant

Dear Mr. Coney Island...
Could you tell me where the giant wooden elephant hotel was located? There is a painting by William Merrit Chase, entitled Landscape Near Coney Island, that depicts a couple of ladies in Victorian garb, picking berries along the seashore (see attacvhed). In the background, on a barrier beach across a narrow bay, is the elephant. I suspect the ladies are picking berries where the Belt Parkway is now, somewhere around Dreier Offerman Park. I’d like a more precise location for the hotel to confirm my hunch on where the scene is located or getting a better bearing. Thanks!
- Mike

Hello Mike,

No attachment came in with your email but I know the painting and have used it in my presentations. The view is looking east and the women are standing at Coney Hook at the border of Sea Gate (roughly where Coney Creek Park is located).

The bay behind them was later filled in to create Kaiser Park. The Elephant Hotel was located on the north side of Surf Avenue near 12th Street.

Painting the Elephant

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