Blog posts by Anna Schwartz

The World of Miklos Suba

Anna Schwartz

Miklos Suba, Study for “Barber Pole, South 8th Street,” [1941?], watercolor on paper, 2022.006.28; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
When artist and trained architect Miklos Suba (1880-1944) immigrated to NYC in 1924, he was confronted with a starkly different cityscape compared to his native Hungary. Suba quickly became enthralled by the American urban landscape. He spent hours wandering the busy streets and industrial areas along Brooklyn’s waterfront in search of his next subject. During these excursions, Suba produced numerous…

Remembering CETA artists in NYC

Anna Schwartz

Walking through the Clark Street subway station in Brooklyn Heights, one can easily miss the two colorful tile murals installed near the entrances. Completed in 1981 by artists Jonah Sellenraad, Alan Samalin, and ceramicist Joe Stallone, the murals depict several nearby attractions, including Plymouth Church and the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.

Johan Sellenraad's mural of Plymouth Church in the Clark Street subway station.
Plymouth Church House, 1941, CHUR_0109. Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs. …

Anders Goldfarb Photographs of Coney Island

Anna Schwartz

Anders Goldfarb, [Person reading on boardwalk], 1989, v1992.48.59. Anders Goldfarb photographs of Coney Island, v1974.031. Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
This From the Vault post was originally written by Tess Colwell and published on August 23, 2017 by the Brooklyn Historical Society. To see the latest Photo of the Week entries, visit the Brooklynology blog home, or subscribe to the Center for Brooklyn History newsletter. Anders Goldfarb is a Brooklyn-born documentary photographer. After receiving…

Home Sweet Hut

Anna Schwartz

[Canarsie Quonset huts], [1946?], NEIG_0315, Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs. Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Today's Photo of the Week takes us to one of the city's first housing developments for veterans and their families. These semi-cylindrical structures made of corrugated steel sheets, known as Quonset huts, were erected along the Belt Parkway in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Canarsie and Gravesend. The steel huts, leased from the Federal government and shipped from a naval base in Rhode Island, provided temporary…

POTW: Sun and Sea Therapy for Children

Anna Schwartz

 

Group at Coney Island seaside home, 1892, gelatin silver print. Julius Wilcox photograph collection, WILC_0022. Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.  
The Seaside Home for Children, run by the Brooklyn Children's Aid Society, was a seasonal charitable facility for sick and lower-income children and their mothers. Located in Coney Island amongst the luxury shoreline resorts, the Home offered families a few days by the sea at no cost. On-site medical care from a dedicated team of doctors and nurses was also available.…

POTW: An Unsightly Approach

Anna Schwartz

Miklos Suba, Untitled (Brooklyn Bridge), circa 1926, crayon on paper. Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
The Brooklyn Bridge is arguably one of the most--if not the most--iconic symbols of Brooklyn. It has been depicted in art, like Hungarian-born American artist Miklos Suba’s version above, and replicated the world over. So, it's hard to imagine a time when the bridge was ever considered ugly. In fact, in the early 1900s, the approach to the bridge from the Brooklyn side was referred to by some as "the ugliest spot in the…

The Soap Fat Collector

Anna Schwartz

George Bradford Brainerd, [The soap fat man], 1870s, glass plate negative. George Bradford Brainerd photograph collection, BRAI_0234. Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History. 
Soap making during the 1800s was dirty business. It required two key ingredients: rendered animal fat and lye, a caustic substance traditionally made from wood ashes. Before industrialization, many Brooklynites made their own soap using accumulated cooking fat and grease from the home. The final product, known as soft soap, was stored in barrels and used…

The Poet From Syria

Anna Schwartz

Federal naturalization record for Nejib Ibrahim Katibah, 1912. Ancestry.com.
Family history research is one of the Center for Brooklyn History's most popular research topics. Millions of people can trace their roots back to Brooklyn. Yet despite an abundance of resources available at CBH, piecing together the social history of one's ancestors--or anyone for that matter--can be difficult, exhausting, and full of dead ends. Several months ago, I ran across the name of a young dentist (and poet) in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle who emigrated to…

An Icy Summer

Anna Schwartz

[Ice Delivery from the American Ice Company to Emmanuel House], circa 1910, lantern slide, V1981.284.12. Emmanuel House lantern slide collection, ARC.138. Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
For non-native New Yorkers like myself, surviving the hot, humid days of summer feels like an annual badge of pride. Grabbing a popsicle from the freezer or an ice cream cone from the neighborhood creamery has long been a favorite way to beat the heat. Today, most Brooklynites take access to cold and frozen food for…

The Lost Murals of Borough Hall

Anna Schwartz

Brooklyn Borough Hall murals, circa 1939. Edgar E. Rutter photograph collections, RUTT_0001.  Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
This week's POTW takes us inside the office of the new incoming Brooklyn Borough President as New Yorkers get ready to vote in the June 22 primary election.  Borough Hall, originally City Hall, is located in the heart of downtown Brooklyn and is one of the borough's oldest public buildings. It was also home to two highly contentious 900 square foot murals, whose final fate remains unknown today.…

POTW: Spring, Is That You?

Anna Schwartz

[Four people and a field of sheep], circa 1890, arc.202_box17_112; Brooklyn photograph and illustration collection, ARC.202; Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Public Library.
Spring in Brooklyn is often fleeting, lasting a month or two at most. With it brings relief from winter’s harsh weather, blooming flowers, and tepid evening breezes. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, spring also marked the return of sheep to Prospect Park. Every April, a large flock of Southdown, a breed known for its adaptability and good lambing…

Preserving Black History in Brooklyn

Anna Schwartz

[Interior of the Slave Theater], Hiroki Kobayashi, circa 2010; Hiroki Kobayashi photographs on the Slave Theater from the collection of Dexter Wimberly, 2014.023; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Black historical sites are rapidly disappearing across Brooklyn despite efforts by local activists and preservationists. The destruction of these tangible sites of memory--largely as a result of redevelopment and gentrification--impacts the way we remember, understand, and tell history. The recent demolition of the Slave Theater in Bedford-…