POTW: Brooklyn Heights Promenade

[Manhattan skyline at night], ca 1964, V1988.1.147, Edna Glyde photograph collection, V1988.1; Brooklyn Historical Society.

The breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade never ceases to amaze me. At BHS, we’re lucky to be able to experience the views from the Promenade regularly, as it’s only a few blocks away from our office in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. I love this photograph of the skyline at night, taken by Edna Glyde around 1964.

The unique tone of this photograph (specifically the rich blue tones) is typical of the Ektachrome film Glyde used to make it. Ektachrome was a Kodak brand of film that was introduced in the 1940s and discontinued in 2009. Another reason it was unique was because, unlike Kodachrome (a popular transparency film), amateurs could process this film in their own darkrooms.

This photograph comes from the Edna Glyde photography collection that comprises 197 photographs by Glyde, taken from 1940 to 1967. Glyde was a resident of Willow Street in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. Many of her photographs depict street scenes throughout the neighborhood. To learn more about the history of the Promenade, check out the Brooklyn Waterfront History website.

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