Albertype Company viewbooks of New York City
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Date
Creator
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Language of Materials
Abstract
The Albertype Company viewbooks of New York City consist of three viewbooks published by the Albertype Company, from 1902 to 1939. The majority of the images from the viewbooks are views of New York City, though several images relating to Brooklyn are included.
Historical note
The Albertype Company was a Brooklyn-based publisher that was founded by brothers Adolph and Herman Wittemann in 1890. The publishing company, originally known as Wittemann Brothers, operated from 1890 to 1952 and produced over 25,000 prints. Albertype Company produced their own photographs, as well as reproduced photographic images produced by other companies or individual photographers. The company published postcards and viewbooks. Viewbooks, also called souvenir albums or view albums, are books that contain commercially published groups of photographs depicting a place, activity, or event.
Sources:
- Getty Research Institute: Art & Architecture Thesaurus. "Viewbooks." Accessed June 27, 2011. http://www.getty.edu/vow/AATFullDisplay?find=viewbooks&logic=AND¬e=&english=N&prev_page=1&subjectid=300026684
- The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. "Albertype Company Photographs, 1910-1950 (V-18A)." Accessed July 1, 2011. http://discover.hsp.org/Record/hsp.opac.v01-165628
Scope and Contents
The Albertype Company viewbooks of New York City consist of three viewbooks published by the Albertype Company, from 1902 to 1939. The majority of the images from the viewbooks are views of New York City, though several images relating to Brooklyn are included. All three viewbooks contain black-and-white non-photographic prints of photographs (and a few renderings) and retain their original softcovers. The first viewbook, New York, consists of 24 pages, with page size measuring 9 x 11, and was published in 1902. The photographs are attributed to A. Wittemann. The second viewbook, also titled New York, was published circa 1930 and consists of 24 pages, measuring 10 x 12.5. The third viewbook, The City of New York, is a Series L.C. 1938-1939 Edition, and consists of 47 pages, measuring 10 x 13. The photographs are attributed to H. L. Wittemann. The viewbooks show images of many iconic buildings in Manhattan, most of which are still standing, as well as aerial views of Manhattan, and cityscapes of Manhattan from the vantage point of Brooklyn, among others.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Reproduction rights for images from the viewbooks have not been evaluated. For information on securing rights to publish or reproduce, please see the Brooklyn Historical Society Reproduction Rights Policy.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Albertype Company viewbooks of New York City, ARC.232, Box number, Object ID number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Source and date of acquisition for this collection are unknown. The collection was formally accessioned in 1986.
Other Finding Aids
Item level description and digital versions of certain images pertaining to Brooklyn are available for searching via the image database in the library. Please consult library staff for more information.
About this Guide
Processing Information note
Fully processed to the item level.
This collection combines the accessions V1986.029, V1986.030, and V1986.031.
