Mar del Plata sits on the Atlantic coast of Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. By the early 1900s, it was already growing fast. European immigrants who arrived mainly in the 1910s pushed their way into local politics and won control of city government. Socialists led the way during this period, pushing through social reforms and funding public projects. One of the biggest achievements came in 1916, when the city’s main port was built and officially opened.
Argentina’s political landscape shifted sharply on September 6, 1930, when the country’s first military coup removed the elected government and handed power back to conservative forces. This change reached all levels of government, including Mar del Plata’s local administration. The new order was widely seen as fraudulent and unpopular, but it did bring some public investment during the difficult years of the Great Depression.
Mass tourism started picking up in the 1930s, helped by better roads connecting Mar del Plata to Buenos Aires and other cities. But the real boom came in the 1940s and 1950s. Under President Juan Perón, trade unions ran hotels in the city, making it affordable for Argentina’s middle and working classes for the first time. Families who previously could not afford a seaside vacation now had access to one of the country’s most popular destinations.
LIFE magazine photographer Hart Preston documented the city in the early 1940s, capturing everyday life along its beaches, streets, and public spaces. His photos show a city on the rise — a mix of elegant seaside resort culture and a working-class city finding its footing.
The Atlantic beaches were the heart of the city’s identity. Locals and visitors packed the shoreline during the summer months. Preston’s camera caught candid moments — people relaxing on the sand, swimming in the ocean, and going about their daily routines in a city that was quickly becoming Argentina’s most famous beach destination.
Beyond the beach, Preston photographed the city’s streets, buildings, and public life. Mar del Plata in the early 1940s had a distinct character — part European in its architecture and culture, part distinctly Argentine in its energy and social life.
The port, inaugurated in 1916, was a key part of the city’s economy. Fishing boats came and went regularly, and the waterfront was always busy. Mar del Plata was not just a resort town — it was a working city with a real commercial engine driving it forward.
Preston’s photographs offer a rare ground-level view of the city during a transformative decade. Argentina as a whole was navigating political instability, but in Mar del Plata, daily life carried on — people worked, vacationed, and gathered in public spaces with a sense of normalcy that the photos capture clearly.
