"Bench Lizards" is based on a painting Angarola did in 1922 while heading the Department of Drawing and Painting at the Minneapolis School of Art, 1922–25. This print was done in 1926 after Angarola returned to his native Chicago to teach at the Art Institute of Chicago, three years before his death at age 36.
The son of Italian immigrants, Angarola grew up in Chicago, Illinois. The social gathering place for the poor were the parks, which were public, and families would go to relax, read the paper, play chess, sew, let the children play and so on. In this image the police officer is engaged with the people rather than being a "guard". The painting of "Bench Lizards" was his first major success.