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Brooklyn History Photo of the Week: Furman Street

Written by Julie on January 11th, 2012

East side of Furman Street., ca. 1940, v1974.16.228; Edna Huntington papers and photographs, ARC.044, Brooklyn Historical Society.

From the desk of Julie May, Photo Archivist: The first noticeable and great thing about this photograph is the cars, I think. While the new Fiat is sweetly round and compact, I personally don’t think it compares to the curvy lines of the cars above. I imagine they were pretty utilitarian, but I find them romantically stylish. This picture depicts Furman Street – a Furman Street that is no longer. It has transformed from a small street with trees and brick-front buildings to the roaring BQE on the east side of the street and the waterfront on the other side with an occasional building or two. In addition, the new Brooklyn Bridge Park in all its manicured and bike-friendly glory is now between the road and the water. That’s quite a change in a mere seventy years, but that’s Brooklyn for you – always changing.

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.

Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Library & Archives | 2 Responses »
Tags: Brooklyn, Library, Photo of the Week, Photographs, photography, Photography Collection

Brooklyn History Photo of the Week: Horse-drawn Carriage

Written by Carolina Garcia on January 4th, 2012

Horse-drawn carriage on Clinton Avenue at Fulton Street, after the blizzard, ca. 1888, V1974.7.78; Adrian Vanderveer Martense lantern slide collection, ARC.191; Brooklyn Historical Society.

From the desk of Carolina Garcia, project intern: When I first started working on digitizing the Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection of lantern slides, one of the things I was most amused by was the fact that the labels on the slides were stamped “A.V. Martense, Amateur”. Martense hailed from one of Brooklyn’s oldest and wealthiest families and enjoyed the hobby of photography. Although he was not a professional photographer, there are many impressive images in the collection—from portraits to landscapes to architecture.

I chose to share this image because of the sharpness and richness that Martense managed to capture. It is among the images Martense created in the wake of a New York blizzard in March of 1888. The horse and carriage stand in front of a building near the corner of Fulton and Clinton Avenue in Brooklyn.

Posted in Hidden Collections, Library & Archives | 3 Responses »
Tags: Brooklyn, Photo of the Week, Photographs, photography, Photography Collection

Map of the Month – January 2012

Written by Carolyn on January 3rd, 2012

This month’s featured map dates from approximately 1776 and shows the routes of American and British troops throughout the New York area before, during, and after the “Engagement on the Heights” of August 27th, 1776. Known alternately as the Battle of Long Island, the Battle of Brooklyn, and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, this event was a significant moment in the Revolutionary War. Some historical sites relevant to the battle can still be visited today, including Battle Pass in Prospect Park, the Prison Ships Martyrs Monument, and the Old Stone House. Enjoy!

Plan of New York island and part of Long Island, showing the position of the American & British armies before, at & after the engagement on the Heights, August 27th, 1776. ca. 1776. Brooklyn Historical Society Map Collection.

(Click on the image to show more detail)

Interested in seeing more maps? You can view the BHS map collection anytime during the library’s open hours, Wed.-Fri., from 1-5 p.m. No appointment is necessary to view most maps. Our cataloged maps can be searched through BobCat and our map inventories through Emma.

Map of the Month is part of a project to catalog our map holdings, funded through the Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Collections program. If you would like to help us do more of this kind of work with our exciting map holdings, donate here.

Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Hidden Collections, Library & Archives | 2 Responses »
Tags: Battle of Brooklyn, Map of the Month, maps

Happy New Year!

Written by Leah on December 30th, 2011

As the year comes to an end the staff at Brooklyn Historical Society would like to wish you a very Happy New Year! In honor of New Year’s celebrations this weekend, here is a sample of festive images from Brooklyn’s past.

Saloon of Charles Schindler, 1905 ca., V1972.1.1064; Early Brooklyn and Long Island Photograph collection, ARC.201; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Women dancing and playing piano, 1946 ca., V1991.110.164; Brooklyn Bureau of Community Services photographs, ARC.129; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Dancing, 1966, V1992.16.13.34, John Cazzetto photograph collection on the John A. Roebling II family, V1992.016; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Namm employee's Excursion on Hudson River Day Line, 1910, V1972.1.763; Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection, ARC.201; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Fireworks over the Brooklyn Bridge, 1983, V1987.3.29; Bernard Gotfryd color slides and photographs, V1987.003; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Library & Archives | No Responses »
Tags: Brooklyn photographs, Dancing, New Year's, Photography Collection

Brooklyn History Photo of the Week: Sledding in Prospect Park

Written by Steve Terry on December 28th, 2011

Sledding in Prospect Park, January 1967, V1990.2.39; Donald Nowlan Brooklyn collection, ARC.120; Brooklyn Historical Society.

This photo shows sledders in Prospect Park, January 1967. Equipped with the wood sleds, plastic discs, and pieces of cardboard, hundreds of winter revelers of all ages flock to the hills of Prospect Park every year. When Prospect Park opened in 1867, it provided a free and accessible public space for Brooklynites to congregate, exercise, and play in the heat of summer and the chill of winter. Today, Prospect Park remains one of the most popular sledding sites in Brooklyn.

Posted in Brooklyn Past & Present, Hidden Collections, Library & Archives | 2 Responses »
Tags: Brooklyn, Photo of the Week, Photographs, photography, Photography Collection, Prospect Park, Winter

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