“The beautiful villages clustering about old Southampton, including Quogue, Good Ground, the rest of the Hamptons, and the incomparable Shinnecock Hills combine to make as close an approach to Eden as can be found in a long journey,” read a New York Times article from 1893 about the smattering of villages and hamlets along the East End of Long Island.
Through the centuries and decades, as farmland made way for bustling summertime communities, the allure and romance of the Hamptons has continued to offer a singular sense of history and beauty. Fittingly, it’s a destination where Ralph Lauren and his family have been spending their summers since the 1970s—a legacy lovingly captured in Ricky Lauren’s book The Hamptons: Food, Family, and History.
As charming during the high season as in moments of solitude, the Hamptons offer no shortage of places to explore off the beaten path—a sentiment captured by photographer Arnaud Montagard on a recent two-day sojourn across the East End. From Orient Point to the Montauk Point Lighthouse, Greenport to Sag Harbor, the French photographer (who now calls Brooklyn home) captured the nostalgic, easy beauty of an iconic American destination.
- Courtesy of Arnaud Montagard