Skip to main content Skip to main navigation

James and Karla Murray Counter Culture exhibition photographs

Call Number

2009.004

Date

1990-2008, inclusive

Creator

Murray, Karla L. (Role: Photographer)
Murray, James T. (Role: Photographer)

Extent

1.87 Linear Feet in one folder and one box.

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

The collection comprises 41 color photographic prints, taken between the late 1990s and 2008. There are 25 11" x 14" prints and 16 panoramic photographs of various sizes. The photographs depict storefronts in Brooklyn. The photographs were part of an exhibition at Brooklyn Historical Society in 2008 titled Counter Culture: The Disappearing Face of Brooklyn's Storefronts.

Biographical / Historical

Counter Culture: The Disappearing Face of Brooklyn's Storefronts was a 2009 exhibition that was part of the Public Perspectives Exhibition Series at Brooklyn Historical Society. The exhibition featured photographs of Brooklyn storefronts by James and Karla Murray, taken between the late 1990s through 2008. This exhibition was funded in part by the Lily Auchincloss Foundation and the Independence Community Foundation.

James and Karla Murray are husband-and-wife New York-based professional photographers. In the late 1990s, they began photographing storefronts in nearly every neighborhood of Brooklyn. About this project, they have said, "we sought to uncover and document many original Brooklyn storefronts that have helped set the pulse, life, and texture of its many different neighborhoods. In many areas of Brooklyn, strict zoning ensures that storefront signage and awnings remain discreet and not hang over 18 inches from the sidewalk. Older stores are often forced to comply with these newer regulations and now appear modernized and have lost their character and unique appearance. It is our hope that the photographs and stores found in this exhibition will help preserve an important part of Brooklyn and bring awareness to the importance of maintaining the character and community of neighborhoods in the face of development."

Scope and Contents

James and Karla Murray Counter Culture exhibition photographs comprises 38 color photographic prints from the 2009 exhibition Counter Culture: The disappearing Face of Brooklyn's Storefronts at Brooklyn Historical Society. There are 25 11" x 14" prints and 16 panoramic photographs of various sizes. The photographs depict Brooklyn storefronts, taken between the late 1990s through 2008. The photographs are primarily documentary in nature, but some photographs include the storeowner or employees posing in front of the building. The panoramic photographs depict entire city blocks in Brooklyn neighborhoods. Highlights include Astroland Park in Coney Island, Circo's Pastry Shop in Bushwick, Manhattan Furrier in Greenpoint, and Neptune Liquors in Crown Heights.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to users without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by James and Karla Murray. Permission to publish or reproduce must be secured from the photographers.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); James and Karla Murray Counter Culture collection, 2009.004, Box number, Object ID number; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from James and Karla Murray in 2010 with funding from the Independence Community Foundation, now the Brooklyn Community Foundation.

Other Finding Aids

Item–level description of the 11 x 14" photographic prints are available for searching via the image database in the library.

Collection processed by

Tess Colwell

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:19:55 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

Item-level records for the collection are available for searching via the Image Database in the library and the online image database.

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society

Container

Box: 104 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)
Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201