Boys Club, circa 1910, v1981.284.51; Emmanuel House lantern slide collection, ARC.136; Brooklyn Historical Society.It’s officially spring, which also means the start of baseball season. The photo of the week depicts a portrait of a boys baseball club taken at the Emmanuel House in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, around 1910. Brooklyn played a key role in baseball's early history, in part because of the rapid growth of amateur clubs that developed within a decade after 1845. By 1858, there were 71 clubs in…
[Helen (Rosenfeld) Ginsberg and Katy Cohen Rosenfeld at Passover], 1939, v1990.33.6; Photography collection, V1990.33; Brooklyn Historical Society [Greenhouse Easter Display], circa 1920, v1980.2.73; Prospect Park lantern slide collection, v1980.2; Brooklyn Historical Society.Tis the season of Easter and Passover celebrations! In recognition of both holidays we thought we’d bring you two photos this week. The photo on the left depicts 19-year-olds…
[Children in the Scenic Railway], circa 1930, v1973.5.1228; Brooklyn photograph and illustration collection, ARC.202; Brooklyn Historical Society.In honor of Luna Park opening for the season last weekend, the photo of the week depicts children on the Scenic Railway amusement ride at Luna Park around 1930 in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn. The railway ride known as “Dragon’s Gorge” opened to the public in 1905 taking visitors through a fantasy world of fire-breathing dragons. In 1944, an electrical issue caused…
[Flowers], circa 1975, v1990.2.232; Donald L. Nowlan Brooklyn collection, ARC.120; Brooklyn Historical Society.Tuesday, March 20 marked the official first day of spring with promises of warmer, greener days ahead! With that in mind, the photo of the week depicts flowers of various colors behind a row of hedges in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden during the spring of 1975.This photograph comes from the Donald L. Nowlan Brooklyn collection comprised of papers and photographs pertaining to Nowlan’s high school and college years…
[24 Middagh Street], 1922, V1974.32.72; Eugene L. Armbruster photographs and scrapbooks, ARC.022; Brooklyn Historical Society.Housing research is one of the most popular topics at Brooklyn Historical Society. Last week, a researcher visited the Othmer Library in search of information related to 24 Middagh Street, a home in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. We uncovered some fascinating photographs and resources pertaining to this historic property, including the photo of the week depicting the southeast…
[Industrial Mixing Equipment Inside Drake Bakeries Building], circa 1940, v1987.7.6; Drake Bakeries photographs, v1987.007; Brooklyn Historical Society.The photo of the week depicts an interior view of Drake Bakeries factory at 77 Clinton Avenue on the border of the Clinton Hill and Fort Greene neighborhoods of Brooklyn around 1940. A man is pictured pouring ingredients into an industrial mixing container.Drake’s Cakes was a brand of snack cakes founded in Brooklyn by Newman E. Drake in 1888. Around 1900, the company…
Sunrise on Brighton Beach, 2009, 2010.008.2; Jacob Mann photographs, 2010.008; Brooklyn Historical Society.Brooklyn Historical Society is fortunate to have several fine art photographers represented in the photography collections, including Jacob Mann, a fine art photographer and painter based in Brooklyn. The photo of the week depicts a sunrise on Brighton Beach taken by Mann in 2009.About this photograph, Mann says, “In my playground pictures I see the playgrounds as places from fairy tales within a dark and preoccupied…
Prospect Park Skiing, circa 1925, v1980.2.61; Prospect Park lantern slide collection, v1980.2; Brooklyn Historical Society.The 2018 Winter Olympics are underway! I have been watching in amazement and wonder at all of the incredible athletes, including 19 New Yorkers, competing in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. With that in mind, I dug up some photographs of Brooklynites enjoying winter sports. The photo of the week depicts a man skiing in Prospect Park in the mid-1920s.This photograph comes from the…
[Elderly couple in Prospect Park], circa 1975, v2008.013.30; Lucille Fornasieri Gold photographs, 2008.013; Brooklyn Historical Society.This week, in honor of Valentine’s Day, we share a photograph that captures a couple’s tender moment in Prospect Park, around 1975. We hope you have a day filled with love and maybe a little too much chocolate.This photograph comes from the Lucille Fornasieri Gold photographs collection comprised of 93 color and black and white photographs by street photographer, Lucille Fornasieri Gold,…
[Eberhard Faber boxing and labelling department], circa 1920, v1988.35.2;Eberhard Faber Pencil Company collection, ARC.028; Brooklyn Historical Society.The photo of the week depicts employees in the Eberhard Faber Pencil Company’s boxing and labelling department, around 1920, in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn. The company began in Nuremberg, Bavaria (now Germany) in 1761 when Casper Faber began manufacturing and marketing pencils in his village of Stein. The business continued to grow and expand through many…
[Smitty Smith’s baby], circa 1950, v1991.11.106.1; Harry Kalmus papers and photographs, ARC.046; Brooklyn Historical Society.The strength of Brooklyn Historical Society’s photographic collections is the built environment, including photographs of buildings and homes that document nearly every Brooklyn neighborhood’s street grid. Not to be overlooked, however, are the collections that focus on Brooklyn’s diverse and active population. This photo of the week from the Harry Kalmus papers and photographs collection depicts…
[Empire Stores], circa 1880, v1991.90.9.1; George J. Bischof papers and photographs, ARC.008; Brooklyn Historical Society.Brooklyn Historical Society is exited to announce the opening of the Waterfront exhibition at BHS Dumbo. Waterfront is an exhibition and multimedia experience that brings to life the vibrant history of Brooklyn’s coastline through stories of workers, artists, industries, activists, families, neighborhoods, and ecosystem. BHS Dumbo is located in Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Empire Stores, pictured here…
Brooklyn Academy of Music, Montague Street, circa 1895, v1972.1.781; Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection, ARC.201; Brooklyn Historical Society.Today, Brooklynites know the iconic Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) building off of Flatbush Avenue in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, but it got its start just blocks away from us at BHS Pierrepont. BAM, seen here around 1895, opened its first location on January 16, 1861, at 176 Montague Street in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. A fire…
[Frozen lake in Prospect Park], 1985 ca.,v2008.013.45; Lucille Fornasieri Gold photographs, 2008.013; Brooklyn Historical Society.Following the Bomb Cyclone and icy temperatures last week, Brooklyn has been looking frozen and snow-covered. The photo of the week depicts the Prospect Park Lake iced over during the winter of 1985. Here’s hoping for some warmer days ahead!This photo comes from the Lucille Fornasieri Gold photographs collection comprised of 93 color and black and white photographs by Gold, taken between 1968…
[Man smoking on boardwalk], 1984, v1992.48.56; Anders Goldfarb photographs of Coney Island, V1992.048; Brooklyn Historical Society.It’s cold out there! 2018 welcomed us with frigid temps and a wind chill that doesn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon. We hope you’re staying warm out there.The photo of the week depicts a man smoking on the Coney Island Boardwalk during the winter of 1984. Somehow, his expression makes me think that he can relate to the weather we’re experiencing right now. This photo comes from the Anders…
[Holidays view 28], 1960 ca, 2006.001.1.138; Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building photographs and architectural drawings, ARC.116; Brooklyn Historical Society.We hope you are enjoying the holiday season and we wish you a joyful, bountiful New Year!The photo of the week depicts a holiday display at the Williamsburgh Savings Bank around 1960 in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. This photograph comes from the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building photographs and architectural drawings collection comprised of photographs…
Grandmother at Hanukkah Party, 1980, v1992.43.29; Marcia Bricker photographs, v1992.43; Brooklyn Historical Society.Wednesday, December 20 is the last day of Hanukkah. If you’ve been celebrating the last 8 nights, we hope you’ve had a festive holiday filled with family, menorah lightings, and maybe a few-too-many latkes. Here at BHS we wish you and your family a Happy Hanukkah!The photo of the week depicts a grandmother at a Hanukkah party in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn in 1980. This photograph comes from…
Johnson St. as it appeared after the fire, 1876, V1972.1.923; Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection, ARC.201; Brooklyn Historical Society.The Brooklyn Theatre Fire—one of the deadliest theatre fires in history—occurred 141 years ago, on December 5, 1876. The tragic event occurred during the final act of the play “The Two Orphans.” The fire started when a gaslight ignited part of the show’s scenery. Acclaimed actress, Kate Claxton, who performed that night, reported to the New York Times in 1885 that she and…
Gym class on roof, 1911 ca, 2014.019.17.05.039b; Packer Collegiate Institute records, 2014.019; Brooklyn Historical Society.Packer Collegiate Institute is an independent school for preschool through Grade 12, located on Joralemon Street in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, just a few blocks from BHS Pierrepont. Thanks to funding from Packer Collegiate Institute and the Leon Levy Foundation, the Packer records have been processed, described, and accessible via a digital humanities website dedicated to the…
Sunday School Thanksgiving/Collection, 1910 ca, v1981.284.20; Emmanuel House lantern slide collection, v1981.284; Brooklyn Historical Society.All of us at Brooklyn Historical Society wish you a relaxing and joyful Thanksgiving holiday! With that in mind, the photo of the week is a view of a Sunday School Thanksgiving collection around 1910 in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn.This photograph is from the Emmanuel House lantern slide collection comprised of 87 photographs dating from 1900 to 1914 depicting children…