Welcome to The Bronx Riviera: Photographs shine spotlight on grit and glamor of the New York City borough's only public beach


Orchard Beach in The Bronx may not be the world’s most glamorous vacation destination, but in the eyes of photographer Wayne Lawrence, the 1.1-mile-long stretch of sand is as classic New York as it gets.

The Bronx's sole public beach was proclaimed 'The Riviera of New York' when it was created in the 1930s by New York's powerful and controversial city planner Robert Moses.



For the past 80 years, working-class residents of the borough have been coming to the humble man-made beach to escape the oppressive summertime heat of their blighted, crime-riddled neighborhoods.



Urban retreat: For the past 80 years, working-class residents of the borough have been coming to the humble man-made beach to escape from the oppressive summertime heat of their neighborhoods Stylish: The women in the photos featured in the book are clad in skimpy bikinis and accessorized with bold bracelets and chains

Family fun: Wayne Lawrence had spent seven summers shooting glamorous portraits of beach-goers in an effort to challenge the negative stereotypes associated with the infamous beach and its visitors

A new book of photographs by Wayne Lawrence called Orchard Beach: The Bronx Riviera, now available on Amazon, thrusts the gritty seaside haven, derided by some as one of New York's worst beaches, back into the spotlight.

While most people do not associate The Bronx with wealth or glitz, Lawrence's portraits of heavily-tattooed sunbathers, frolicking couples and families are deliberately glamorous, celebrating their distinctive personal style.

According to the description of the book, published by Prestel, Lawrence’s goal was to challenge the stereotypes associated with working-class people by celebrating their cultural pride.



Celebrating diversity: The photographer's subjects come in all shapes and sizes, and represent different ethnicities, be it African-Americans, Latinos or Caucasians

Inked: The men in the portraits show off their sculpted or lanky torsos that serve as canvasses for body art



The photographer’s subjects come in all shapes and sizes, and represent different ethnicities, be it African-Americans, Latinos or Caucasians.

Many of the women in the photos featured in the book are clad in swimsuits and revealing bikinis in eye-catching colors and accessorized with bold bracelets and chains.

The men show off their sculpted, muscular torsos that serve as canvasses for body art.



The ladies of Orchard Beach: Bronx's sole public beach was proclaimed 'The Riviera of New York' when it was created in the 1930s

Fighting stigma: The pictures in the book highlight the humanity of everyday Bronx residents frolicking on the beach with their families

Beginning in 2005, Lawrence, a native of the island of St Kitts, spent seven summers documenting the leisure and style of Orchard Beach, known to New Yorkers as a 'hood beach' or 'Horses**t Beach.'