jmay

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Bio

I am the Photographic Archivist at the Brooklyn Historical Society. I have been managing the photographs since 2006. I'm a graduate of Pratt Institute and have worked in the Pentagram Archive and 40 Acres & a Mule Archive prior to my current position.

Photo of the Week: Happy Bike Month, Brooklyn!

Written by Julie May on May 15th, 2013

Untitled, ca. 1945, v1992.37.4; Photography Collection; Brooklyn Historical Society.

[Gravesend Bay], no date, v1988.1.61; Edna Glyde photograph collection, v1988.001; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Prospect Park Brooklyn, on a Sunday Morning in Spring, 1896, v1976.2.34; Edward B. Watson photographs and prints collection, ARC.213; Brooklyn Historical Society.

For the past few years, I have posted a photograph to acknowledge Bike Month or Bike Week and this year, I had trouble deciding on just one photograph. With everything that is occurring with regard to bicycles in New York City this year, I think limiting my post to one photograph would be downright negligent. These three may seem a little random and perhaps they are — they remind me of what’s possible when a person hops on a bicycle. The first one, taken of an unknown young man in an unidentified neighborhood of Brooklyn shows the industry possible with bicycles. Given the size of the front basket, I can assume this fellow worked in a shop that offered delivery service via bicycle. Perhaps he is happy because his delivery is complete. The next photograph is great for the simple composition that emphasizes how far one can go on a bicycle, representing the tranquility that can come from riding a bicycle and ending up somewhere with one’s thoughts. It was taken by Edna Glyde in the Fort Hamilton neighborhood. The final photograph comes from the Edward B. Watson photographs and prints collection. Though taken way back in 1896, it’s indicative of the Brooklyn we might all be familiar with today. Spring has sprung, bike share is so close we can almost feel our key fobs (though mine hasn’t arrived yet), and hordes of people have emerged with their bicycles to ride around in every which way.

On a related note, you might see a lot of people commuting to work on bicycle this week in the first Commuter Challenge sponsored by Transportation Alternatives. Five Brooklyn Historical Society staff members are participating — you might see some of us in Prospect Park or sidling up to the building to park. Anyway, Happy Bike Month Brooklyn! Ride thoughtfully.

Interested in seeing more photos from BHS’s collection? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images. Interested in seeing more historic Brooklyn images, visit our new website here. To search BHS’s entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections visit BHS’s Othmer Library Wed-Fri, 1:00-5:00 p.m.

Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Library & Archives | No Responses »
Tags: Bike Month, Brooklyn photos, Photo of the Week, Photography Collection

Photo of the Week: Maypole Dancing on Long Meadow

Written by Julie May on May 1st, 2013

[Anniversary Day, Prospect Park] ca. 1915, v1972.1.788; Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection, arc.201; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Despite the dreary weather yesterday, it is finally May! I encourage all to remember the past weekend with the dazzling sunshine. We too will be able to leap happily around Prospect Park day after endless summer day very soon just like all the young ladies in the picture above.

Taken on Anniversary Day, these girls were among many schoolchildren to march through the many parks of all five boroughs of New York City as part of the Sunday School Union Anniversary Day Parade. A New York Times article from 1901 estimated participation of 90,000 children in that year’s event, considered as important to the city’s children as Christmas. The children marched through the streets donning bright colors and carrying flags. The marching was followed by celebratory ice cream and cake at their respective churches. Prospect Park has gone through many changes [link embedded in changes] over the years, but today continues to be a central gathering place for Brooklynites. There we celebrate everything from Michael Jackson’s birthday, local and gourmet food, the historic Battle of Brooklyn, and just plain good weather and happy times. Happy Spring Brooklyn – see you in the park.

Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Library & Archives | No Responses »
Tags: Brooklyn photos, Photo of the Week, Photography Collection, Prospect Park

Photo of the Week: Can we say Spring has Sprung yet?

Written by Julie May on April 24th, 2013

[Man and boy standing on the beach, Coney Island] ca. 1880, v1974.7.127; Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection, arc.191; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Here we have a photograph for photograph’s sake – the photographer snapped this photo for no other reason than his own enjoyment – and consequently, ours. Amidst today’s beautiful weather I know I’m not the only one wishing it was July and that my only obligation activity was to snap a photograph of my companions while at a Brooklyn beach. In this case, the little boy is from another well-known Dutch family, the Lotts and the older gentleman is Major McFall, whom we don’t know much about.

Adrian Vanderveer Martense was an avid photographer, a member of the Brooklyn Academy of Photography, and a member of one of Brooklyn’s oldest Dutch families. His subjects were his environment, daily activities, and his friends. His photographs were experiments with film and light levels at a time when no one had a light meter – either hand-held or on-board. His lantern slides also had an elaborate mount and he labeled them with a description and his “MARTENSE” stamp.

Read more about Martense here and look at the rest of his photographs in our collection in our here.

Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Library & Archives | No Responses »
Tags: Brooklyn photos, Coney Island, Photo of the Week, Photography Collection

Photo of the Week: Mr. And Mrs. Julian Ramus

Written by Julie May on April 17th, 2013

Adele Schwartz [Mrs. Julian Ramus] ca. 1910, v1978.174.27; and [Julian Ramus outside, Dean St.], ca. 1898, v1978.174.21; Ramus Family Papers and Photographs Collection, v1978.174; Brooklyn Historical Society.

These two children were born in different parts of New York City: the Bronx, and Brooklyn. Little did Isaac and Esther Ramus know, when they moved to Dean St. from London in the mid 1830’s, their young grandchild Julian and the little girl pictured above, Adele Schwartz, would one day captivate his heart.

These are part of a collection of photographs that span generations and formats. Both photographs are classified as cabinet cards, paper-based images adhered to a thick cardstock, measuring about the size of a modern day postcard and often bearing the photographer’s or studio’s name. The cabinet card is the descendent of a smaller photograph popular in France called the carte-de-visite (visiting card). More information on cartes-de-visite can be found here. Technological developments in photography allow us to see rich tonal ranges in Adele’s delicate curls and in both children’s dapper attire.

Interested in seeing more photos from BHS’s collection? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images. To search our entire collection of images visit BHS’s Othmer Library Wed-Fri, 1:00-5:00 p.m.

This blog post was written by CHART Intern, Caridad Bojorquez.

Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Library & Archives | No Responses »
Tags: Brooklyn photos, Photo of the Week, Photography Collection

Photo of the Week: Two hunters in a field of haystacks

Written by Julie May on April 3rd, 2013

[Two hunters in a field of haystacks] ca. 1900 v1985.4.1; William Koch glass plate negatives, William Koch, V1985.004; Brooklyn Historical Society.

I love the casual, kick-back feel of this photo. I also like the old style of haystacks, and the style of these two hunters. The William Koch glass plate negatives collection contains at least three other photographs of these two hunters {object id numbers v1985.4.17, v1985.4.28, and v1985.4.30) that show, among other things, their successful hunt expeditions.

William “Billy” Koch was an amateur photographer in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of German immigrants Phillip and Elisabeth Koch. Billy also ran a tavern named Billy Cook’s Saloon at 3^rd avenue and 65^th street in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn. From 1912 to the mid-1950s, Koch worked in the real estate business with his uncle, also named William Koch.

In 1985 Billy Koch’s granddaughter, Mrs. Beatrice Roman, donated to Brooklyn Historical Society not only the collection of 66 glass plate negatives taken by Billy circa 1900 [v1985.4], but also his camera and darkroom equipment. The collection contains a mixture of country and town shots, group portraits, and casual photos of individuals and homes.

Written by CHART Intern, Twilo Rios.