Brooklynology

Fascinating Brooklyn stories from our local history archivists.

Jamel Shabazz's Portrait of Louis Reyes Rivera

Louis Reyes Rivera. SHBZ_0092.

April Showers Bring May Flowers and Floods

Flooding at the end of 1st Street and Gowanus Canal, April 15, 2007.

Bringing Swagger to the Court Since 1910

Senior Basket Ball Team, Adelphi College yearbook, 1910. Brooklyn Yearbook collection, BCMS.0031. Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
For this Photo of the Week we have a captivating portrait of the Adelphi College senior basketball team from their 1910 yearbook.

What’s Better Than a Bake Sale?

St. Thomas Aquinas : moving pictures. [Projection booth for outdoor movies] 1913. CHUR_1201, Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History
This gangly construction was the brainchild of Rev. Dr. James Donohoe of St.

Sun and Sea Therapy for Children

 

The Eberhard Faber Pencil Company

The Eberhard Faber Pencil Company traces back to 18th century Bavaria, where carpenter Casper (Kasper) Faber began crafting and selling lead pencils in the small town of Stein. Casper’s son Anton Wilhelm (A.W.), took over the business in 1784, renaming it the A.W. Faber Company.  

Early Years of the Pratt Institute

[Pratt Institute blacksmith students], circa 1905, SCHL_1603; Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History. 
Today’s Photo of the Week looks at a classroom in the early years of the Pratt Institute.

The Cube as an Alternate Plan to Urban Renewal

"The Cube Building, a future cooperative for homeless families," The Cooper Square Plan: Report for Discussion, October 15, 1986, 

The Evolution of Thought: Work by Lucille Fornasieri Gold

Boys with butterfly, 1975, Photographic print, V2008.013.1; Lucille Fornasieri Gold photographs, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
This week's Photo of the Week highlights the work of Lucille Fornasieri Gold, a Brooklyn photographer.

Changing Tides: 1965 Journal of Brooklyn CORE

Changing Tides: 1965 Journal of Brooklyn CORE. Arnie Goldwag Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Collection,

On a Boat Built for One

Boys boating along Canarsie Creek, 1924, Photographic print, OSOS_0248; Our Streets, Our Stories collection, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
This week's Photo of the Week takes us to a scene on the Canarsie Creek in 1924 where 1-year-old, William Johnson, floats in a little toy boat next to a skiff holding an unidentified man and b

Windows of Rare Beauty

CHUR_1206, Spring Window, 1915, black and white silver gelatin print.

Built for Brooklyn History: A Place With Many Names

[Long Island Historical Society, Pierrepont Street and Clinton Street], 1961, by Ellis Herwig, V1974.031.30; Long Island Historical Society photographs, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History
This From the Vault post was originally written by Tess Colwell and published

An Unsightly Approach

Miklos Suba, Untitled (Brooklyn Bridge), circa 1926, crayon on paper. Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
The Brooklyn Bridge is arguably one of the most--if not the most--iconic symbols of Brooklyn. It has been depicted in art, like Hungarian-born American artist Miklos Suba’s version above, and replicated the world over.

Shark attacks in Brooklyn? Fuhgeddaboudit!

[8-foot shark caught on Sheepshead Bay fishing trip], 1950, NEIG_1852; Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History. 
They probably won’t need a bigger boat to haul in this little shark, caught off the coast of Sheepshead Bay. Although sharks can be found in Brooklyn’s waterways, attacks are extremely uncommon.

Eubie Blake and the Legitimization of the Black Musical

Eubie Blake. 1954. Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History ​​​​​​ ​​​​
His father called him Bully. His mother called him Wally. Neighbors called him Mouse. Relatives called him Eubie.

Civic Center Book Shop: "For Lovers of Old Books"

[Civic Center Book Shop, Pierrepont Street near Fulton Street], December 15, 1958, gelatin silver print, 

Atoms for Peace and Goodbye, Central Library

[Atoms for Peace], CBPL_0313, 1950s, Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Public Library
Today, former Brooklyn Collection materials, staff, and all the rest officially moved to our new home at the Brooklyn Historical Society building on Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights.

Hell's Gate Explosion

Explosion at Hell Gate, [1880], Lantern Slide, V1974.7.121. Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection

Macaroni-Making Machine

Automatic short paste drying unit, [1932?], Photographic print, OSOS_0016. Our Streets, Our Stories collection.

Coordinating Dance Moves and Community in Brighton Beach

George Cohen, Brighton Beach YM-YWHA Jewish Community Center, 1987.  George Cohen photograph collection, COHEN_0093.

"The Fastest and Most Thrilling Ride Ever Offered the Public": Flying Turns at Steeplechase Park

It's January in Brooklyn, but one can always take a journey into summer through the collections at the Center for Brooklyn History (CBH).

A Million Possibilities

Randy Duchaine, Fireworks over the Central Library, April 14, 1997, color print. Media Relations photographs, Brooklyn Public Library institutional archives.

Encounter with Kismet on a Ride Through Bed-Stuy

Architectural rendering of Kismet [Shriners] Temple located at 62 Herkimer Street, Bedford-Stuyvesant, 1909. Caption on front: R.

Gil Hodges Gets His Due

[Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman Gil Hodges, with six baseball bats and duffel bag over shoulder], 1952, gelatin silver print, DODG_0498; Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History. 
We’re thrilled that Gil Hodges has finally been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

The Brooklyn Theatre Fire of December 1876: a community's response

At the Center for Brooklyn History, a variety of collections document Brooklyn's vaudeville and theater scenes—from scrapbooks where individuals preserved programs and tickets, to periodicals like The Opera Glass, the Brooklyn Daily Programme and The Brooklyn Daily Stage. These serve as a testament to the popularity of these performances among a wide and diverse segment of Brooklynites.

One Photographer's Reflections on Protests and the Pandemic

Protestors kneel down on Flatbush Avenue.

The Restoration of Endale Arch

View of Prospect Park's Endale Arch, cobblestone path, street lamp, several park benches, and portion of park beyond. Endale Arch, 194-?, gelatin silver print. Brooklyn Daily Eagle photograph collection, PARK_0166. Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History. 
 

Brooklyn's Dog and Horse Parade

 

The winner of the "smallest dog" title meets an Irish Wolfhound—the winner of the "largest dog" title.  Brooklyn Dog and Horse Parade, 1935, gelatin silver print. Brooklyn Daily Eagle photograph collection, NEIG_1738. Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History. 
 

Happy Birthday Marianne Moore

PORT_0606, Marianne Moore, 1949, black and white silver gelatin print.

Eaglets on a Jolly Jamboree

Title page from The Grand Canyon dedication tour by Edwin B. Wilson, 1920. Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
In summer 1919, Secretary of the Interior Franklin K.

Bring Your Photo ID: Filling Gaps in the Archive

Flatbush Avenue with a view of Erasmus Hall High School and Astor Theater. 1972-1977. NEIG_0858. Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History 
Everyone loves a mystery, and we have no lack of them here in the archive.

Trommer's Near-Beer

Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, 194-?, WORK_0054, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History
Today's Photo of the Week takes us to Trommer’s Brewery at Bushwick Avenue and Conway Street. Brewery President George Trommer (right) is smashing a beer bottle to celebrate a new fleet of delivery trucks. George was the son of founder John F.

A Tough Rowhouse to Hoe: On Agriculture and Urban Development

RUTT_0085, Flatbush Ave. Extension, 1924, Edgar E. Rutter Photograph Collection,

The Kanawake Teieriwakwata hymnal: aiding Mohawk services in the city of churches

[Cuyler Presbyterian Church] , CHUR_0529. Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Today's Photo of the Week takes us to Boerum Hill, where residents of the Kahnewake Mohawk territory near Montreal, Canada, settled in the early and mid-20th century.

A (Maybe) Brooklyn Haunting for Spooky Season

 

Litchfield Villa, HERZ_0213. Irving I. Herzberg photograph collection, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History
 

The Art of Healing: Works from the Veterans Creative Arts Program collection

Courage of a soldier by Mavis John.

Dressing for Tradition

Kimberly McEwen, 1971, color photograph. Brooklyn Heights Garden Club collection, BCMS.0082.

The Soap Fat Collector

George Bradford Brainerd, [The soap fat man], 1870s, glass plate negative. George Bradford Brainerd photograph collection, BRAI_0234. Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History. 
Soap making during the 1800s was dirty business. It required two key ingredients: rendered animal fat and lye, a caustic substance traditionally made from wood ashes.

Faces of a Family in 19th Century New York: the Ramus Collection

A Legacy in Lead

[Women working in the Eberhard Faber pencil factory], circa 1915, V1988.35.6, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
As New York City students return to the classroom, we’re dreaming of fresh school supplies. Notebooks, rulers, folders, and of course: pencils.

April 1, 1949: A Day in Brooklyn Labor History

F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company, June 21, 1949, Brooklyn Daily Eagle Photos,

The Poet From Syria

Federal naturalization record for Nejib Ibrahim Katibah, 1912. Ancestry.com.
Family history research is one of the Center for Brooklyn History's most popular research topics. Millions of people can trace their roots back to Brooklyn.

Inman's Vaudeville

[Inman's Casino], 1946, CONE_0451. Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs.

Water, Water Everywhere

[Flood at Sutter and Saratoga Avenues], 1923, NEIG_0291. Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs.

An Unusual Ride to School

[Children riding to school in pony cart], circa 1947. Kasper Family Collection, BCMS.0080.

Housing Starts: The Riverside Buildings and the Push for Affordable Housing in Brooklyn

Solution of the tenement problem: Riverside Building, the Quadrangle, 1892.

An Icy Summer

[Ice Delivery from the American Ice Company to Emmanuel House], circa 1910, lantern slide, V1981.284.12. Emmanuel House lantern slide collection, ARC.138.

Debate and Diplomacy in Brooklyn’s History

Every year, the National History Day contest provides students with an opportunity to dive into research related to an overall theme and present their findings in a variety of formats at their regional contest. We’re thrilled to host the regional contest for New York City at the Center for Brooklyn History in the 2021-22 school year, and we’ve been using the summer break to brainstorm some of our favorite topics related to this year’s contest theme.

Hat Works of Knox the Hatter

Brooklyn Eagle postcard collection, [Knox Hat factory, St. Marks and Grand Avenues], circa 1905, POST_0558, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Today we're looking at the imposing apartment building at 369-413 St. Marks Avenue that began life as the world’s largest hat factory.