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.
Written by Julie on April 9th, 2010
There are certainly some architectural gems in Bedford-Stuyvesant. A researcher in the library today researching her block for the purpose of landmarking it and The Brownstoner making 247 Hancock Street the Building of the Day drew me into another section of our Photography Collection. In the early 70s, BHS president James Hurley, with others, photographed this beautiful block of Hancock Street.
Hancock Street between Marcy & Thompkins taken by William Cox, 1972. Brooklyn Historical Society Hargrave Collection of Bedford-Stuyvesant Photographs, v1974.5.2.
Hancock Street between Marcy & Thompkins taken by William Cox, 1972. Brooklyn Historical Society Hargrave Collection of Bedford-Stuyvesant Photographs, v1974.5.4.
Hancock Street between Marcy & Thompkins taken by William Cox, 1972. Brooklyn Historical Society Hargrave Collection of Bedford-Stuyvesant Photographs, v1974.5.9.
Kelly Mansion at 249 Hancock Street between Marcy & Thompkins built by Montrose Morris taken by William Cox, 1972. Brooklyn Historical Society Hargrave Collection of Bedford-Stuyvesant Photographs, v1974.5.9.
239 Hancock Street between Marcy & Tompkins taken by James Hurley, 1972. Brooklyn Historical Society Hargrave Collection of Bedford-Stuyvesant Photographs, v1974.5.16.
Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Library & Archives | 4 Responses »
Tags: Bedford-Stuyvesant, Photographs, photography, Photography Collection
Written by Julie on March 25th, 2010
The recent New Yorker blog post “Off the shelf: Folk Photography” by Rollo Romig about the popularity of postcards renewed my enthusiasm for our collection at the Brooklyn Historical Society. Widely printed, mailed, and collected, we have thousands of postcards depicting a long ago Brooklyn and from one Brooklynite to another. Not only are the images great to see, they show a Brooklyn from years ago that may or may not still exist and the correspondence is fascinating to read. They are somewhat like the tweets, text messages, and emails we send today. At only a penny to send, why not, right? Here is a small selection of our postcards.
November 29, 1891. No chance to write, calls all morning . . . v1973.4.761. Photography Collection of the Brooklyn Historical Society.
November 20, 1906. Dear Laura, Another for your collection . . . v1973.4.296. Photography Collection of the Brooklyn Historical Society.
I am trying to get you a soldier. Estelle. v1988.20.68. The Photography Collection of the Brooklyn Historical Society.
1890. The view from our garden. 1 Grace Court. Brooklyn Heights. v1973.4.953. The Photography Collection of the Brooklyn Historical Society.
No Date. When you are big enough you must go to Luna Park to see the circus. v1973.4.712. The Photography Collection of the Brooklyn Historical Society.
Flatbush Avenue, ca. 1880. This view was taken just south of Cortelyou Road, and is looking north. The avenue was still a dirt road with wooden planks. Note the Jeremiah Lott homestead. v1973.4.641. The Photography Collection of the Brooklyn Historical Society.
Posted in Library & Archives | 4 Responses »
Tags: Photographs, photography, Photography Collection, Postcards
Written by Julie on May 15th, 2009
I think we can all admit there’s an aesthetic division on Montague Street in our Brooklyn Heights neighborhood. In one several-block stretch little shops of delicacies, restaurants with sidewalk seating, and cafes to satiate your caffeine addiction abound. However, in just the one block between Clinton and Court Streets, a parking garage, banks, construction and the subway entrance leaves little to admire (excepting the lovely Brooklyn Trust Company, now the Chase Manhattan Bank). I suppose that’s why it was attacked by guerrilla knitters this week. I don’t know about anyone else, but I was pleased as punch to trudge down the first block of Montague yesterday to find fuchsia, plum, olive, and sky blue wool titillating my cornea instead of the usual drab row of parking meters. Thanks to a work installation of Knitta Please’s founder sponsored by the Montague Street Business Improvement District Brooklyn Heights has been ‘touched.’
Guerrilla Knitting on Montague Street
Montague Street used to stretch all the way down to the waterfront accented by the charming Penny Bridge. Now it ends at the beautiful Promenade overlooking the East River. The block between Clinton and Court Streets used to boast a combination of charming striped window awnings and more austere offices and business including the Brooklyn Academy of Music before a destructive fire. It remains that transition from the tree-lined, 19th century residential neighborhood to the business of Fulton Street and downtown Brooklyn.
Montague Street, ca. 1890. The Brooklyn Historical Society Photography Collection (v1972.1.655)
Montague Street, ca. 1902 by Eugene Armbruster. The Brooklyn Historical Society Photography Collection (v1974.1.1329)
Old United States Court Building, ca. 1880. The Brooklyn Historical Society Photography Collection (v1973.5.610)
I’m happy to see some recent attention paid to this block that paved the way for the bustling business district now on the other side of Court Street. I would love to see more of the Brooklyn knitting installations. Perhaps more work pictures by these aesthetic vanguards might find their way into our collection so we can document this magnanimous endeavor for all time.
Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Library & Archives | 1 Response »
Tags: guerrilla knitters, Knitta Please, Montague Street, Montague Street Business Improvement District
Written by Julie on May 1st, 2009
Perhaps others have also noticed that Spring is brewing in Brooklyn. With last weekend’s record highs, bicycles and their cyclists came out in force all over the borough. I was one of these people churning over the Williamsburg Bridge on my folding bike on Saturday, parked by the grocery store on Sunday, and commuting via bike path to work on Tuesday. All of which gave me some time to think about bikes! Not only are they a great way to get around New York City, but they have seen some interesting leaps in terms of technology and design. Here are a few of my favorite examples from the photography collection:
No title, ca. 1890. The Brooklyn Historical Society Photography Collection (v1972.1.905)
Eddie Tepper, 1887 by Adrian Vanderveer Martense. The Brooklyn Historical Society Photography Collection (V1986.243.1.22)
No title, ca. 1910. The Brooklyn Historical Society Shellens Collection (V1988.468.28)
No title, ca. 1950 by Harry Kalmus. The Brooklyn Historical Society Photography Collection (V1991.11.10.3)
A book from our collection called A sporting time : New York City and the rise of modern athletics, 1820-70 mentions pedestrianism as a sport that lived and died between 1835 and 1860. Bicycles and cycling, on the other hand, were the craze by the 1890s and I think they remain so. An article titled “Bike-riders had heyday circa 1890-1900,” found in our “Brooklyn and Long Island Scrapbooks,” talks about bike rides from here to Philadelphia and along Ocean Parkway to Coney Island (Brooklyn Daily Eagle July 13, 1952). Today being May 1, the beginning of National Bike Month, I must shout out to all the cyclists in Brooklyn who share my delight in this awesome machine. Let the bicycle craze continue well into the 21st century!
Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Library & Archives | 2 Responses »
Written by Julie on November 4th, 2008
Rumor is there was a filming for the holiday episode of Gossip Girl in our humdrum facilities the other day. No, the staff was not lingering in the tile lobby just because Lily, Rufus, and Bart were hanging out in between shoots. Nor were their faces and cameras mashed up against the library’s second and third floor windows to catch a glimpse. However, sometime around 10am, an audible scream emanating from 20 St. Ann’s students across the street revealed this borough’s true feelings for the show that glorifies DUMBO while calling it Williamsburg and secretly shoots in Brooklyn instead of Manhattan. Ahh well, I suppose we can forgive them since BHS was THE spot throughout most of the day as actors and crew glamorously filled our lobby and recently renovated sidewalk with their voluminous pots of lilies, tendrils of wires, and the glow of lights and tv stars.
That's Lily in our Tile Lobby receiving that extra special glow we see on screen.
Lily (in stilettos) and Bart having a chat on Montague Street. Fortunately for her feet, Lily had flats waiting in the wings!
Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present | No Responses »
Tags: Building Rentals
Written by Julie on September 20th, 2008
As told to me by our Library Assistant Extraordinaire, Sarah Steele:
This week I began an inventory of four or five strangely organized boxes of Long Island photographs and images. Despite the outdated accession numbers and unknown provenance, a lot of really excellent things have been turning up. My favorite so far is the collection of approximately 40 original photographs from the late 19th century of maritime life on Long Island. Here is the first item from what I hope will become our Long Island Whaling Collection:
![Amagansett, L.I. Whale taken off Amagansett, Feb. 23, 1907 [now in American Museum of Natural History, N.Y.] Walter Benedict at left. Fred Benedict, photog.](http://brooklynhistory.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/whale1.jpg)
Amagansett, L.I. Whale taken off Amagansett, Feb. 23, 1907 [now in
American Museum of Natural History, N.Y.] Walter Benedict at left.
Fred Benedict, photog.
Posted in Library & Archives | No Responses »
Tags: Photography Collection
