Finding Aid File
Brooklyn Public Library - Brooklyn Collection
Guide to the Larry Racioppo Collection BCMS.0053
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Brooklyn Public Library - Brooklyn Collection
- Racioppo, Larry
- Larry Racioppo Collection
- BCMS.0053
- 1971-2019
- 8.8 Linear feet , 5 flat boxes, 3 document boxes, 2 cartons, 2 legal size boxes
- Brooklyn Collection Morgue, Shelves 17.3-17.4, Flat File
- English
- Materials documenting the career of New York based photographer Larry Racioppo.
- This collection should be cited as the Larry Racioppo Collection, Brooklyn Public Library – Brooklyn Collection.
Repository
Creator
Title
ID
Date
Extent
Location
Language
Abstract
Preferred Citation
Printable version
Click here for a printable PDF version of this finding aid.
Biographical Note
Larry Racioppo was born and raised in South Brooklyn, and has been photographing throughout New York City since 1971. A former VISTA Volunteer, and participant in NYC’s Cultural Council Foundation’s CETA Artists Project, Racioppo had his first solo exhibit in 1977 at Brooklyn’s f-stop Gallery. His first book of photographs, Halloween, was published by Scribners in 1980.
From 1989-2011, Larry was the official photographer for NYC’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, hired to document the city’s rebuilding of distressed neighborhoods, including Bedford Stuyvesant, Harlem and the South Bronx. After receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship in Photography in 1997, Racioppo took a leave from HPD to work on a series of personal projects, including FORGOTTEN GATEWAY, the Abandoned Buildings of Ellis Island, a travelling exhibit of his photographs that originated at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
In 2006 he was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Chairman’s Extraordinary Action Grant for his exhibit The Word on the Street at the Museum of Biblical Art in New York. Racioppo’s photographs are in the collections of the Museum of the City of New York, The Brooklyn Museum, the New York Public Library, El Museo del Barrio, and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. His second book, Brooklyn Before: Photographs, 1971–1983 was published by Cornell University Press in 2018.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of items documenting the career of New York based photographer Larry Racioppo. Exhibit materials for both solo and group shows span over 40 years and include promotional materials, photographs and notes. Correspondence includes communications regarding funding opportunities, his Guggenheim Fellowship, recommendations and thank you notes from professional contacts.
Reports, brochures and calendars make up the bulk of Racioppo’s freelance assignments and his work for the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Research materials for personal photography projects include scouting and shooting notes with copies of relevant maps and atlas pages. The Theater Project makes up the bulk of the Project Notes and Research series.
Photographs printed for various exhibits and publications are also included.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in seven series:
Series I: Exhibits is arranged chronologically. When multiple exhibits appear in a given year the folders are arranged alphabetically by exhibit space.
Series II: Press is arranged chronologically.
Series III: Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by subject with the exception of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, which is foldered together regardless of subject.
Series IV: Freelance Assignments is arranged alphabetically by the hiring organization.
Series V: New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development is arranged alphabetically by project.
Series VI: Project Notes and Research is arranged alphabetically by project.
Series VII: Photographs is boxed by image size and foldered alphabetically by project, with the exception of Brooklyn Before and B-Ball NYC, which appears at the end of the series.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Brooklyn Public Library - Brooklyn Collection , 2018
10 Grand Army PlazaBrooklyn, NY, 11238
718.230.2762
[email protected]
Access
This collection is located in the Brooklyn Collection at Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Branch at Grand Army Plaza. The collection may only be used in the library and is not available through interlibrary loan. Requests to view the collection must be made at least 48 hours in advance of visit.
Use
While many items in the Brooklyn Collection are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Provenance
This collection was acquired between 2014-2019 through a series of purchases and donations from Larry Racioppo.
Related Materials
Oral history interview conducted with Larry Racioppo on April 5, 2018.
Racioppo, Larry. Brooklyn before : photographs, 1971-1983. Three Hills, an imprint of Cornell University Press. 2018.
Racioppo, Larry. Halloween. Scribner. 1980.
Racioppo, Larry. Kenny and Marie's backyard. Shutterfly. 1989.
Racioppo, Larry. The word on the street : the photographs of Larry Racioppo. Museum of Biblical Art. 2006.
Controlled Access Headings
Genre(s)
- Photographs
Subject(s)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)--Social life and customs
- Photography—Exhibitions
- Street Photography
Collection Inventory
Series I: Exhibits |
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Box 1 |
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Folder 1: Early Exhibits , 1974-1995 |
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Folder 2: Museum of African American History and Arts. Rebuilding Harlem , 1994 Oversize: Box 4, Folder 1 |
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Folder 3: Bronx Museum, Satellite Gallery. Rebuilding the Bronx , 1995 |
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Folder 4: The Midtown Y Photography Gallery. The Mermaid Parade , 1995 Oversize: Box 4, Folder 2 |
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Folder 6: Alliance of Queens Artists. Full Spectrum/Image and Imagination III , 1996 |
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Folder 7: Art Center of Northern New Jersey. Steel Water Light , 1996 |
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Folder 5: Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House. Civic Lessons , 1996 |
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Folder 8: Jamaica Arts Center. The Outskirts of Town , 1996 |
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Folder 9: The Municipal Arts Society. Reasons for Hope , 1996 |
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Folder 10: Pace University. Coney Island Photographs , 1996 |
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Folder 11: The Print Club. Primary Subject , 1996 |
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Folder 12: The Times Square Lobby Gallery. Almost Home , 1996 |
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Folder 14: Brooklyn Borough Hall. Home Ownership in Brooklyn , 1997 |
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Folder 13: The Center for Art and Culture of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Inc. Theosophy-N-Art , 1996-1997 |
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Folder 15: The Times Square Lobby Gallery. The Nature of Our Environment , 1997 |
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Folder 16: The Hudson River Museum. Getting From Here to There , 1998 |
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Folder 17: Museum of the City of New York. New York Begins , 1998 |
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Folder 18: Republic National Bank of New York. Community Renaissance , 1998 |
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Folder 19: National Building Museum. Forgotten Gateway: The Abandoned Buildings of Ellis Island , 1998-1999 Oversize: Box 4, Folder 3 |
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Folder 20: Museum of the City of New York. Landscapes of Hope , 1999 |
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Folder 21: New York Public Library. Disorder Order , 1999 |
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Folder 22: Westchester Gallery. New York, the Lost City , 1999 |
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Folder 23: Gallery Five. Worship , 1999-2000 |
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Folder 24: Museum of the City of New York. Forgotten Gateway: The Abandoned Buildings of Ellis Island , 1999-2000 |
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Folder 25: Museum of the City of New York. New York Now 2000 , 2000 |
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Folder 26: Godwin-Ternbach Museum (CUNY). A Vision of the Street , 2000 |
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Folder 27: Henry Street Settlement. Sacred Spaces: Lower East Side Shuls +1 , 2000 |
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Folder 28: New Jersey State Museum. Forgotten Gateway: The Abandoned Buildings of Ellis Island , 2000 |
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Folder 29: Deutsche Bank. The Mural as Muse , 2001 |
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Folder 30: The Municipal Society. Fresh Kills: The Photographs , 2001 |
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Folder 31: New Jersey Historical Society. Forgotten Gateway: The Abandoned Buildings of Ellis Island , 2001 |
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Folder 32: The River Edge Cultural Center. From Ellis Island to the Golden Land , 2001 |
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Folder 33: The Rotunda Gallery. To Market to Market , 2001 |
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Folder 34: Save Ellis Island. Forgotten Gateway: The Abandoned Buildings of Ellis Island , 2001 |
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Folder 35: St. Paul’s Chapel. Out of the Dust , circa 2002 |
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Folder 36: Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Forgotten Gateway: The Abandoned Buildings of Ellis Island , 2002-2003 |
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Folder 37: Brooklyn Public Library. All This Useless Beauty , 2003 |
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Folder 38: Brooklyn Public Library. World Religions of Brooklyn , 2003 |
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Folder 39: Safe-T-Gallery. O Giglio E Paradiso , 2003 Oversize: Morgue Flat File |
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Folder 40: Enterprise Reception Winter Garden. HPD Photography , 2004 |
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Folder 41: Interfaith Center of New York. Frames of Reverence , 2004 |
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Folder 42: Municipal Arts Society. Keeping the Faith , 2004 |
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Folder 43: La Guardia Community College. Going to Look for America , circa 2005 |
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Folder 44: Center for Photography at Woodstock. Relationships: A Ten Year Bond , 2006 |
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Folder 45: Museum of Biblical Art. The Word on the Street , 2006 |
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Folder 46: Museum of the City of New York. New York Comes Back: Mayor Ed Koch and the City , 2006 |
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Folder 47: Museum of the City of New York. Catholics in New York 1808-1946 , 2008 |
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Folder 48: Safe-T-Gallery. Brooklyn Interiors , 2008 |
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Folder 49: Yeh Art Gallery. Influences of African Beliefs on Latin American Contemporary Alters: An Exhibition of Alters and Ritual Offerings , 2008 |
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Folder 50: Garibaldi-Meucci Museum. Kitty and Lucky: Photographs of My Aunt Concetta and Uncle Augustine , 2009-2010 Oversize: Box 4, Folder 5 |
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Folder 51: Art + Cayce. Larry Racioppo Photographer , 2010 |
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Folder 52: BRIC. 30, a Brooklyn Salon , 2011 |
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Folder 53: New York City Health and Hospital Corporation. NYC in Focus, Volume 2 , 2011 |
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Folder 54: El Museo Del Barrio. Voces Y Visiones: Gran Caribe , 2012 |
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Folder 55: Brooklyn Arts Council. Sea Drift , 2013 |
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Folder 56: Valentine Museum of Art. Coney Island , 2015-2016 |
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Folder 57: Brooklyn College. From Brooklyn College to Coney Island , 2016 |
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Folder 58: Brooklyn Public Library. Looking Out/Looking In , 2016 |
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Morgue Flat File |
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The Eleventh Street Photo Gallery. Halloween , 1979 |
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The Goodwin-Ternbach Museum. A Vision of the Street , 2006 |
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Series II: Press |
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Box 1 |
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Folder 59: The Journal of the Theater Historical Society , circa 1980-2005 |
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Folder 60: Bricks + Mortar , 1993 (Fall) |
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Box 2 |
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Folder 1: Neighborhood , 1983 (Summer) |
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Folder 2: Community News 1992 (Nov.) |
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Folder 3: Brooklyn Bridge Magazine , 1998 (June, Oct., Dec.) Oversize: Morgue Flat File |
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Folder 4: Common Bond , 1999 (Spring/Summer) |
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Folder 5: Culture Front Magazine , 1999 (Summer, Fall) |
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Folder 6: Queens Life , 2000 (April) |
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Folder 7: Clippings , 2000-2006 |
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Folder 8: ArtNews , 2013 (April) |
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Morgue Flat File |
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Metro , 2007 (Sept.) |
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Series III: Correspondence |
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Box 2 |
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Folder 9: Department of Housing Preservation and Development , 2004-2010 |
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Folder 10: Guggenheim , 1996-1998 |
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Folder 11: Letters of Acceptance and Recommendation , 1997-2001, 2011 |
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Folder 12-13: Rejections , 1994-2014 |
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Folder 14: Thank You Letters , 1989-1999 |
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Series IV: Freelance Assignments |
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Box 2 |
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Folder 15: Brooklyn Historical Society, Red Hook Guide , 2000 |
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Folder 16: Brooklyn Historical Society, Williamsburg Guide , 2000 |
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Folder 17: Chase Manhattan, Corporate Responsibility Annual Report , 2000 |
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Folder 18: Take the Field , 2000 |
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Folder 19: International Longshoremen’s Association , 1977-1978 Oversize: Box 4, Folder 6 |
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Folder 20: Queens Council on the Arts, Annual Reports , 2000, 2006 |
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Folder 21: Yale University, Wolf Head’s Society , circa 2005 |
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Series V: New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development |
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Box 2 |
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Folder 22: Condition Reports , circa 1992-1995 |
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Folder 23: HPD Pipeline Newsletter , 1995 (Jan.) |
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Folder 24-25: Housing Development Corporation, Annual Reports , 1998-2008 |
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Folder 26: Landmarks Conservancy, Annual Reports , 1997-2000 |
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Folder 27: The New Housing Marketplace, Progress Reports , 2003, 2005, 2008, 2010 |
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Folder 28: Supportive Housing Network , circa 2005 |
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Folder 29: Reports , circa 1995-2000 |
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Folder 30: Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Program , circa 2005 |
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Folder 31: New York City Home , circa 1998 |
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Folder 32: Deck of Cards |
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Morgue Flat File |
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Housing, New York City Cover Proof , 1999 |
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Single Room Living in New York City Cover Proof |
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Series VI: Project Notes and Research |
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Box 3 |
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Folder 1: Brooklyn Before , 2017-2018 |
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Folder 2: The Brooklyn Book of the Dead |
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Folder 3: Giglio , circa 1995-2000 Oversize: Box 4, Folder 7 |
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Folder 4: Halloween , 1979-1980 Oversize: Box 4, Folder 8 |
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Folder 5: Theaters, Brooklyn Drawings |
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Folder 6: Theaters, Clippings , 1975-2001 |
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Folder 7: Theaters, Drawings |
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Folder 8: Theaters, Found |
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Folder 9: Theaters, Gone |
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Folder 10: Theaters, Location and Access with Maps |
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Folder 11: Theaters, Locations and Contacts |
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Folder 12: Theaters, Locations not Photographed Oversize: Box 4, Folder 9 |
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Folder 13: Theaters, Loew’s Kings Proposal |
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Folder 14: Theaters, Photographed Oversize: Box 4, Folder 10 |
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Folder 15: Theaters, Photographed but Incomplete |
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Folder 16: Theaters, Polaroids and Contacts with Notes |
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Folder 17: Theaters, Shooting Notes |
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Box 4 |
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Sketchbook |
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Series VII: Photographs |
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Box 4 |
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Folder 11: Calendars , 2000-2001, 2018 |
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Box 5 |
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Folder 1: BRIC-2000 |
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Folder 2: BRIC Calendar |
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Folder 3: Churches |
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Folder 4: Coney Island Mermaid Parade |
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Box 6 |
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Folder 1-2: Coney Island Mermaid Parade |
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Folder 3: Coney Island/Theater , 1998-2000 Oversize: Morgue Flat File |
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Folder 4: Churches , 1990-2008 Oversize: Morgue Flat File |
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Folder 5-6: Giglio |
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Folder 7: Landscapes of Hope |
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Box 7 |
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Folder 1: Landscapes of Hope |
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Folder 2: Lowe’s Kings Theater , 1998-2001 |
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Folder 3-4: Scrap |
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Folder 5: B-Ball NYC: Proofs |
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Box 8 |
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Folder 1: Books , 2009-2018 |
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Folder 2: Books, Shutterfly , 2017-2018 |
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Folder 3-4: BRIC 2000 Calendar/HDC |
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Folder 5: Coney Island Mermaid Parade |
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Box 9 |
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Folder 1: Giglio, Printed for Show , 2003 |
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Folder 2-3: Good Friday |
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Folder 4: Prospect Park |
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Box 10 |
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Folder 1-2: Word on the Street , 1995-2005 |
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Box 11 |
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Brooklyn Before , 1971-1983 |
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Box 12 |
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Folder 1: B-Ball NYC: Correspondence and Notes |
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Folder 2: B-Ball NYC: Outtakes |
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Folder 3: B-Ball NYC: First Set of Proofs |
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Folder 4: B-Ball NYC: Proofs |
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Folder 5: B-Ball NYC: Book and Calendar, Shutterfly |
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