This Photo of the Week takes a peek at the Brooklyn Daily Eagle’s Summer Resort & Travel Directory. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle was once the nation’s most widely read afternoon newspaper, running for 114 consecutive years from 1841 to 1955 (today’s newspaper of the same name is a separate entity). The Eagle also produced numerous bound publications as part of its Eagle Library, including the Summer Resort & Travel Directory. Summer editions of the newspaper itself were bursting with resort and seasonal getaway ads. Additionally, around June, the paper also issued a separate guide, wrapped inside a colorful paperback cover. The Center for Brooklyn History holds a run of summer guides from 1899 to 1929.
The 1900 edition opens with the following statement:
The commencement of another summer season, which brings with it the desire to secure a cool and comfortable spot for a vacation, finds the Eagle ready again to satisfy this want through its Summer Resort Number. This number, which is issued under the auspices of the Eagle’s Free Information Bureau, has become so well known as an authentic guide to resorts in vacation land that it really needs no word of introduction.
The guide included recommendations for Northeast destinations that were easily accessible by rail or car, including such not-so-distant gems as the Berkshires, the Shawagunks and Sullivan County, the New Jersey coast, the Catskills, Long Island, and even the surrounding boroughs. The inner pages were published in black and white, but the covers popped with color. The front typically sported summer fashions or idyllic nature images, while the back bore advertisements. These guides are open for research by appointment.
Interested in seeing more photos from CBH’s collections? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images, or the digital collections portal at Brooklyn Public Library. We welcome appointments to research our entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections. Our reference staff is available to help with your research! You can reach us at cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org.
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
Post a Comment
While BPL encourages an open forum, posts and comments are moderated by library staff. BPL reserves the right, within its sole discretion, not to post and to remove submissions or comments that are unlawful or violate this policy. While comments will not be edited by BPL personnel, a comment may be deleted if it violates our comment policy.
eNews Signup
Get the latest updates from BPL and be the first to know about new programs, author talks, exciting events and opportunities to support your local library.