Brooklyn: Photographs in Black viewbook
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The viewbook documents the built environment in Brooklyn and includes 43 black-and-white non-photographic prints of photographs of buildings (schools, churches, factories, among others), bridges, monuments, and parks in Brooklyn.
Historical note
The Albertype Company was a Brooklyn-based publisher that was founded by brothers Adolph and Herman L. Wittemann. In 1890, the publishing company, originally established as the Wittemann Brothers circa 1879, changed its name to the Albertype Company, denoting the company's use of the collotype (or albertype) photographic process. The company operated from 1890 to 1952 and produced over 25,000 prints. The Albertype Company both produced their own photographs (Adolph was a photographer), as well as reproduced photographic images produced by other companies or individual photographers. Using the prints, the company published postcards and viewbooks. Viewbooks, also known as 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 28, 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 Brooklyn: Photographs in Black viewbook was published by the Albertype Company in 1891 and consists of 39 pages, with page size measuring 5 x 7. The viewbook documents the built environment in Brooklyn and includes 43 black-and-white non-photographic prints of photographs of buildings (schools, churches, factories, among others), bridges, monuments, and parks in Brooklyn. Locations well-represented in the viewbook include the neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, and Downtown Brooklyn, as well as Prospect Park.
Subjects
Genres
Topics
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Reproduction rights for images from the viewbook 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); Brooklyn: Photographs in Black viewbook, V1986.018, 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 images from the collection 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.
