POTW: Early Spring

Tess Colwell

[Brooklyn Photographs: Prospect Park-lake], ca. 1975, V1990.2.176; Donald L. Nowlan Brooklyn collection, ARC.120; Brooklyn Historical Society. [Brooklyn Photographs: Prospect Park-lake], ca. 1975, V1990.2.176; Donald L. Nowlan Brooklyn collection, ARC.120; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Spring is my favorite season in Brooklyn, so the early spring-like temperatures lately make me excited for the warmer months ahead. What excites you about springtime in Brooklyn? Personally, I can’t wait to spend time in Prospect Park, reading and riding my bike. With that in mind, the photo of the week depicts the reservoir in Prospect Park in early spring, sometime around 1975.

This photograph has a pink tone which can occur from older photographic prints. Color photographs are naturally unstable and impermanent, with the color dyes fading at different rates. While largely unavoidable, the deterioration and discoloration of photographs can be delayed by proper storage and care. General guidelines for the storage of photographs includes a relatively dry (30-40% relative humidity), cool (room temperature or below), stable environment. To learn more about the care of photographs, check out this useful resource, created by the Library of Congress.

This photograph comes from the Donald L. Nowlan Brooklyn collection. Donald L. Nowlan grew up at 470 3rd Street in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. He attended Brooklyn schools from elementary through college. The photographs in this collection include 122 color photographic prints, 165 color slides, and three black-and-white photographic prints taken by Nowlan that document Brooklyn in the 1960s and 1970s. The primary subject-matter of the photographs are Coney Island, Brooklyn Botantic Garden, Prospect Park, and the Reenactment of the Battle of Brooklyn in Prospect Park (circa 1979). To view more photographs from this collection, check out this gallery.

Interested in seeing more photos from BHS’s collection? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images. Interested in seeing even more historic Brooklyn images? Visit our Brooklyn Visual Heritage website here. To search BHS’s entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections visit BHS’s Othmer Library Wed-Sat, 1:00-5:00 p.m. library@brooklynhistory.org

 

This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.

 

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