Baby Prince, circa 1880, v1974.7.126; Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection, ARC.191 ; Brooklyn Historical Society.The photo of the week depicts “Baby Prince” and an unidentified woman going on a stroll through the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn sometime around 1880. This photograph, along with many other photographs from the Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection, is particularly charming and noteworthy because it truly gives us a glimpse into an earlier, less developed time in Brooklyn. This is one of my favorite…
[Children playing in fire hydrant spray], 1977, v2007.042.32; 1977 Blackout Slide collection, 2007.042; Brooklyn Historical Society.With recent temperatures in the nineties and a heat advisory issued last week for New York City, it’s a good time to be thankful for air conditioning and city pools. The photo of the week takes us back to the summer of 1977 in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. On July 13-14, 1977, New York experienced an electricity blackout which led to looting and arson throughout the city. Bushwick had…
[Long Island Historical Society, Clinton and Pierrepont Streets], circa 1925, V1974.031.1; Long Island Historical Society photographs, v1974.031; Brooklyn Historical Society.The photo of the week depicts Brooklyn Historical Society (formerly the Long Island Historical Society) around 1925. The land was purchased in 1868, but the Depression of 1873 stalled building plans until 1878 when enough money was amassed for construction. From December 1877 to February 1878, the Long Island Historical Society held a design competition…
[Portrait of Josie E. Burton with dog on prop balustrade], ca 1885, V1981.283.40; Burton family papers and photographs, ARC.217; Brooklyn Historical Society.The photo of the week is a cabinet card of Josie E. Burton and dog (possibly her pet), taken sometime around 1885. Cabinet cards are photographic prints mounted on a commercially printed cardstock, usually displaying the photographer or studio name. In a previous post, I discussed cartes de visite, which are closely related to cabinet cards. Cabinet cards were developed…
[Children as daisies, from Sewing School Class], ca 1910, V1981.284.23; Emmanuel House lantern slide collection, ARC.136; Brooklyn Historical Society.The photo of the week depicts children as daisies from sewing school class around 1910. The Emmanuel House, located at 131 Steuben Street in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn was a civic center and place of outreach run by the Young Men’s League of the Emmanuel Baptist Church. The Emmanuel House offered Sunday school, Kindergarten, and recreational classes such as…
[Sheep in Prospect Park], ca 1880, V1974.7.107; Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection, ARC.191; Brooklyn Historical Society.Can you imagine witnessing this idyllic scene in Prospect Park’s Long Meadow? In the early years of the park, New Hampshire and black-faced Southdown sheep could be seen grazing in the Long Meadow with lambs in tow. Olmstead and Vaux, the designers of the park, added the sheep for practical and design purposes. The sheep helped maintain the pasture and provided a peaceful tranquility to the park…
[View of beach at Coney Island], 1958, V1974.4.528; John D. Morrell photographs, ARC.005; Brooklyn Historical Society.There’s nothing quite like a beach day at Coney Island. Personally, I love that the proximity to Coney Island allows New Yorkers and tourists alike to experience the beach without leaving the city. This photo was taken in July 1958, but in some ways, it doesn’t look much different than a Saturday scene today---crowds, families, umbrellas, sprawled all along the coast line. This year, Coney Island is open…
[Boy standing on dirt mound, Flatbush sewer site], circa 1880, V1974.7.63; Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection, ARC.191; Brooklyn Historical Society.The photo of the week depicts a young boy standing on a dirt mound at a Flatbush sewer site, sometime around 1880. In the mid-19th century, there were no underground sewage systems in Brooklyn. The city was facing a rapidly increasing population and the outbreak of infectious diseases. To address the sewage and waste problems, the Board of Sewer Commissioners was…
Summer [Prospect Park West], circa 1908, V1981.15.208; Ralph Irving Lloyd lantern slides, V1981.15, Brooklyn Historical Society.Sunday is the first day of summer, so it seems appropriate to highlight a photograph in our collection titled “Summer.” This photograph is by Ralph Irving Lloyd and depicts Prospect Park West around 1908. I love the small details in this photograph that give clues to an earlier time in Brooklyn, including the clothing style, the awnings on the buildings, and the vehicles in the background. With…
[Hasidic boys with cotton candy], circa 2003, V2008.013.59Lucille Fornasieri Gold photographs, 2008.013; Brooklyn Historical Society.The Lucille Fornasieri Gold photographs is one of my favorite collections at Brooklyn Historical Society. I love that her photographs almost always have an element of surprise and I think they offer a unique perspective of Brooklyn. The photo of the week is from 2003. It displays young Hasidic boys eating cotton candy on a Brooklyn sidewalk. I find this photograph particularly charming…
[#119 Milton Street ("Blue House").], 10/19/1958, V1974.9.130; John D. Morrell photographs, ARC.005, Brooklyn Historical Society.One of the best parts of living in Brooklyn is the history; every spot of property in this borough has a story. Do you know the story behind your Brooklyn home? House history research is one of the most popular research topics at Brooklyn Historical Society. The extensive resources housed in the Othmer Library will help you get familiar with the history of specific homes and neighborhoods. A…
E. Van Altena, Military band marching in the Brooklyn Memorial Day Parade, 1895; V1972.1.1109 , Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection , ARC.201, Brooklyn Historical Society.Memorial Day is the official kick off of summer with beaches and barbecues, but it is also a time to honor those who served in the country’s armed forces. The earliest known celebrations of Memorial Day date back as far as 1865. New York City hosts parades in every borough to commemorate the day. Brooklyn’s annual Memorial Day Parade is…
More Coffee Drinking When National Prohibition Comes, circa 1920; V1973.5.914, Brooklyn photograph and illustration collection, ARC.202, Brooklyn Historical Society.Artisanal coffee roasters in Brooklyn have been popping up everywhere in recent years, but it might come as a surprise that Brooklyn has a long history of coffee roasting that spans long before it was considered hip. The photo of the week was taken around 1920 in a warehouse at Bush Terminal (now Industry City) and features two men lifting a large bag of…
[Little girl with doll and doll carriage in yard], circa 1909; V1985.4.54, William Koch glass plate negatives, V1985.004, Brooklyn Historical Society.The photo of the week is a dry plate glass negative from the William Koch glass negatives collection. This collection includes 66 photographs from about 1890 to right around 1925. William "Billy" Koch was an amateur photographer in Brooklyn and owned a tavern named Billy Cook's Saloon in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn. His photographs display houses, farms, and…
[Traffic at Grand Army Plaza], circa 1892; Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection, ARC.191, V1974.7.60 ; Brooklyn Historical Society.New York City Department of Health estimates that over a half million New Yorkers ride bikes. Just this past week, I dusted off my old bike to join the other two-wheeled commuters. Brooklyn Historical Society employees participate in the Transportation Authority’s annual Bike to Work Month which is more motivation to take in some fresh air on my commute to work. Check out other bicycle…
[Blossoms], 1975 ca; Donald L. Nowlan Brooklyn collection, ARC.120, v1990.2.214; Brooklyn Historical Society.After a long winter, it is a welcome sight to see blooms popping up all over Brooklyn. On one particularly warm day last week, I walked to Prospect Park and sat under a blooming tree and felt so grateful for the beauty that is Brooklyn in the springtime.With that in mind, the photo of the week is a view of the Cherry Esplanade in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, taken by photographer and Brooklynite Donald L. Nowlan in…
[Lincoln and son], circa 1864; John B. Woodward papers, ARC.275; Brooklyn Historical SocietyIn April 1865, General Lee surrendered the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House. Thanks to the popularity of cartes de visite photographs, like the one pictured above, we can better understand how personal and nationalized portraits shaped the wartime experience on the battlefront and the home front. Cartes de visite first came to the United States from Paris in 1859 and because incredibly popular. They…
[Ebbets field], 1914 ca; Brooklyn photographs and illustrations, ARC.202, V1973.5.1801; Brooklyn Historical SocietyIt’s officially spring, which also means the baseball season is underway. The photo of the week features the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Ebbets Field around 1914. On April 9th 1913, over 100 years ago, the Brooklyn Dodgers hosted an opening game against the Philadelphia Phillies at the brand new Ebbets Field. The stadium was located in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, on Sullivan Place.The Dodgers made history in…
Crabbing,1880; Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection, ARC.191, V1974.7.39; Brooklyn Historical Society.Sheepshead Bay, like many other places in Brooklyn, has undergone many changes over the years. Named after a local fish once ubiquitous in the bay, the town was formerly a sleepy fishing village. With the advent of the subway and later the Belt Parkway, Sheepshead Bay was transformed by business and tourism. In recent years, recreational fishing fleets have declined, and more party boats and dinner boats have gained…
[Female Laundry workers at Pilgrim Laundry], ca 1910, V1989.3.1; Pilgrim Laundry photographs, v1989.003; Brooklyn Historical Society.The photo of the week comes from the newly processed Pilgrim Laundry collection. Pictured above is one of the six black and white interior photographs from the collection. In this photograph, female workers are displayed using laundry machinery around 1910.Pilgrim laundry was a laundry facility located in the Windsor Terrace neighborhood of Brooklyn and first opened its doors in 1894. The…