"Brooklyn Sanitary Fair, 1864"

The caption on this illustration reads, "Brooklyn Sanitary Fair, 1864. View of the Academy of Music as seen from the stage." Streamers and flags decorated the room filled with tables of merchandise for sale. Women in Brooklyn worked hard to organize and run the fair, which raised money to provide supplies to soldiers on the battlefields. The Sanitary Fair was a project to benefit the United States Sanitary Commission, which gave supplies and health information to the troops. Disease was a major cause of death during the Civil War, and the Sanitary Commission tried to prevent unnecessary illnesses by teaching soldiers about proper food preparation and other important health information.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported extensively on the Brooklyn and Long Island Sanitary Fair:

"The Great Sanitary Fair. The Opening Night" (February 23, 1864)

"To All Women Interested in and Working for the Brooklyn and Long Island Fair" (Advertisement, February 10, 1864)

"The Fair Closed" (March 9, 1864)

For more about the Brooklyn and Long Island Sanitary Fair, see Documents 64, 66, 67, and 68.

Citation - Document 65
Prints: Sanitary Fair
February 22, 1864
Brooklyn Public Library – Brooklyn Collection
www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/civilwar