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Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection

Call Number

ARC.201

Date

circa 1860 to 1920, inclusive

Creator

Young, A. R. (Role: Photographer)
Nelson, Walter H. (Role: Photographer)
Armbruster, Eugene L. (Role: Photographer)
Geo. P. Hall & Son (Role: Photographer)
Brainard, George Bradford (Role: Photographer)
Lewis, Elias, Jr. (Role: Photographer)

Extent

15 Linear Feet in 24 boxes

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

The Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection is comprised of roughly 1,800 black-and-white photographs taken by various photographers from circa 1860 to 1920.

Biographical note

George Bradford Brainerd (also spelled Brainard; 1845-1887) was a civil engineer, an amateur photographer, and an amateur natural historian. Brainerd was born on November 27, 1845 in Haddam Neck, CT. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. from which he graduated in 1865. As a civil engineer, Brainerd worked for the then-City of Brooklyn in the position of Deputy Water Purveyor--a position he held for 17 years (1869 to 1886). During this time, Brainerd published the 48-page book, The Water Works of Brooklyn (1873).

Brainerd's work as an amateur photographer began when he was just 13 years old. He began by making his own cameras and developing ambrotypes from them. While working as a civil engineer, Brainerd photographed public work projects, as well as street scenes in Brooklyn. He also took extensive photographs of areas in New York State, including on Long Island and along the Hudson River. His subjects included houses, churches, mills, railroad stations, gate houses, reservoirs, harbors, beaches, and ponds, among others. Over the years, Brainerd continued to design his own cameras and photographic techniques. Through his inventions, he was able photograph the human vocal organs thus contributing to the perfection of this type of medical photography. As an amateur natural historian, he amassed a large collection of bird skins, shells, and minerals, as well as maintained his own herbarium, and collected moss and lichens.

Elias Lewis, Jr. (1820-1894) was born in the Long Island town of Westbury, and relocated to Brooklyn in 1853, where he worked in business and finance. He served in several capacities at the Long Island Historical Society (now the Brooklyn Historical Society) including as secretary, as curator of the museum, and as a member of the board of directors. Lewis was also an amateur geologist and photographer. Between 1872 and 1877, he published numerous articles in Popular Scientist Monthly including "The Longevity of Trees;" "Ups and Downs of the Long Island Coast;" and "The Formation of Sand Dunes." His subjects as an amateur photographer followed his geological studies and included images of trees, boulders, rock formations, sea cliffs, and beaches, among others. He also photographed houses, mills, lighthouses, churches, and railroad stations. His photographs were primarily taken on Long Island, N.Y.

Eugene L. Armbruster (1865-1943) was a resident of the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn and worked at a cigar box manufacturing company in Brooklyn. He was born in Baden-Baden, Germany in 1865, immigrated to the United States in 1882, and settled in Brooklyn. Armbruster was also an amateur historian and photographer. As an amateur historian, he published several books and pamphlets including The Eastern District of Brooklyn; Long Island: It's Early Days and Development; and The Wallabout Prison-Ships, 1776-1783. As an amateur photographer, Armbruster focused on documenting locations throughout the Northeastern United States and Canada, though his dominant subject was the New York City area, including Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, as well as areas of Long Island. His subjects were often street scenes, houses, and churches, among others. He also extensively photographed Coney Island circa 1910. Armbruster was married and had two children. He died on September 21, 1943 and is buried at Lutheran Cemetery in Queens.

George P. Hall & Son was a commercial photography firm that operated from 1886 to 1914. The firm, located in Manhattan, was started by George P. Hall (1832-1900), an Ohio native, who began his photographic career as a daguerreotypist in 1854. In 1872, Hall relocated to New York City, where he opened a commercial photography studio. His son, James S. Hall, joined his father in business in 1886, and George P. Hall & Son was established. The firm photographed in all five boroughs of New York City, and focused on documenting the built environment throughout the city, thus capturing the dramatic changes in the city from the 1880s to 1914. When George P. Hall died in 1900, James S. Hall continued to run the business until it ran into financial difficulties and Hall was forced to close the business in 1914. Both George P. Hall and James S. Hall lived in Brooklyn.

Sources:

  1. Brooklyn Museum. "Brainerd Photographs." Accessed May 10, 2011. http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/exhibitions/1653/Brainerd_Photographs
  2. New-York Historical Society. "Guide to the Eugene L. Armbruster Photograph Collection, 1894-1939." Accessed May 10, 2011. http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/nyhs/armbruster.html
  3. Queens Library. "Guide to the Eugene L. Armbruster Literary Manuscripts, 1909-1929." Accessed May 10, 2011. http://www.queenslibrary.org/ext/central/longisland/manuscripts/index.asp?f=a-2.xml&tt=Eugene+L.+Armbruster+Literary+Manuscripts+
  4. New York Historical Society. "Guide to the George P. Hall & Son Photograph Collection, 1876-1914." Accessed May 10, 2011. http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/nyhs/hall.html

Arrangement

The collection is boxed by size and type. Each box is arranged by accession number and object ID number.

Scope and Contents

The Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection is comprised of roughly 1,800 photographic prints, measuring 15 linear feet, taken by various photographers from circa 1860 to 1920. The collection includes views of locations on Long Island, which is comprised of the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens (Kings County and Queens County respectively), Nassau County, and Suffolk County. The majority of the photographs in the collection depict views of Brooklyn and Suffolk County. The photographers are primarily amateur photographers and include George Bradford Brainerd (also spelled Brainard), Elias Lewis Jr., A.R. Young, Eugene L. Armbruster, and Walter H. Nelson. The collection also includes photographs from the commercial photography firm George P. Hall & Son, as well as photographs where the photographer is unknown. Subjects include the built environment (houses, churches, railroad stations, mills, cemeteries, asylums, penitentiaries, ferry terminals, lighthouses, and parks, among others) and the natural environment (beaches, shorelines, trees, creeks, ponds, bays, and harbors, among others). The collection also includes many views of Coney Island and Prospect Park.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use

While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.

All commercially produced photographs are in the public domain. Copyright for unpublished works with a known creator are protected until 70 years following the death of the creator. Copyright for anonymously created items will remain in effect for 120 years following the date of creation.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Early Brooklyn and Long Island photograph collection, ARC.201, Box number, Object ID number; Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Public Library.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source and date of acquisition for this collection are unknown. This collection was formally accessioned in 1972.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

If digital surrogates exist, they should be used in place of the originals whenever possible.

Related Materials

Collections at CBH: George Bradford Brainerd photograph collection (BCMS.0059) Elias Lewis, Jr. letters (2013.002) Charles E. West memorial speech for Elias Lewis, Jr. (1973.311) Eugene L. Armbruster photographs and scrapbooks (ARC.308) Morris Slotkin collection of Eugene L. Armbruster photographs of Williamsburg (V1991.106)

Collections elsewhere: Brooklyn Museum holds a collection of photographs by George Bradford Brainerd.

Queens Public Library holds two related collections. For more photographs by George Bradford Brainerd, see the Ron Ziel Photographic Collection, 1874-1996 (Z-1). To access a manuscript collection of Eugene L Armbruster, see the Eugene L. Armbruster Literary Manuscripts, 1909-1929 (A-2).

The New York Historical Society two related collections. See the George P. Hall & Son Photograph Collection, 1876-1914 (PR 024) and the Eugene L. Armbruster Photograph Collection, 1894-1939 (PR-081).

The Milstein Division Visual Collections and Ephemera at the New York Public Library holds photographs by Eugene L. Armbruster. See: the Eugene L. Armbruster Collection of Long Island Photographs ((S) IRM (Long Island) 87-6000).

Existence and Location of Copies

Item level description and digital versions of images from the collection are available for searching via the image database in the library. Please consult library staff for more information.

Collection processed by

Patricia Glowinski

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:27:31 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is written in: English, Latin script.

Processing Information note

Fully processed to the item level.

This collection combines the accessions V1972.001, V1972.002, V1973.001, and V1973.002.

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society
Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201