Cliff Dwellers was the first painting purchased by the county of Los Angeles for its fledgling museum, in 1916. Although Bellows was a relatively young artist at the time, the painting was destined to become one of the most celebrated in American art. This depiction of the Lower East Side of Manhattan conveys the lifestyle of the many immigrants that flooded American cities in the early twentieth century. The people are poor, living in cramped apartments, with too many children to feed; the children have the character of untrustworthy street urchins. Yet scenes such as this were not intended to be critical of foreigners of their living conditions; indeed, the activity has a lighthearted, almost circus like quality. Although not meant as a call to alleviate poverty of overcrowded slums, this painting did reflect the topical issue of urban reform, for the plight of the urban poor was often discussed in the newspapers of the day.