
1937
One of four lithographs from the series The People Work, Benton Spruance's imaginative interpretation of the morning rush hour highlights the intermingling of strangers from all walks of life in the urban ritual of riding public transit to work. The unusual cross-section view of the New York subway clogged with passengers suggests the nervous activities of a beehive or ant colony. Widely considered Spruance's most successful prints, the other three lithographs from the series are Noon, Evening, and Night, completing the cycle of a full working day and night.