Skip to main content Skip to main navigation

Maurice Brill albums

Call Number

PR 428

Date

1895-1926, 1960s?, inclusive

Creator

Brill, Maurice, 1869-1951

Extent

3 Linear feet in 2 flat boxes (3 albums)

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are primarily photographic, but various languages appear especially in the "Grand Tour" album.

Abstract

The collection includes three albums related to New York businessman Maurice Brill (1869-1951): a scrapbook of photographs, pictorial works, and ephemera from a "Grand Tour" of Europe and North Africa (1895), an album of photographs by Schuyler Carteret Lee of Brill's residence at 163 East 63rd Street in Manhattan (circa 1919), and an album of snapshots of Brill's Meadow Edge Farm in Mount Kisco, NY, taken in 1926, with some snapshots added perhaps in the 1960s.

Biographical / Historical

Maurice Brill (1869-1951) was a clothier/haberdasher and, later, a real estate investor. With his brothers Samuel and Max, Maurice was the proprietor of the New York City men's clothing chain, Brill Brothers, founded in 1887. The operation expanded in the city, eventually to include a location in a building newly-constructed in 1930 at 1619 Broadway, at 49th Street. Shortly after its construction, the Brills bought the building, which became known as the Brill Building. The clothing business was liquidated in 1940 but Brill continued to own 1619 Broadway. He died in New York in 1951.

(The above note was based primarily on Brill's obituary from the New York Times of July 7, 1951.)

Arrangement

The albums are listed in chronological order.

Scope and Contents

The collection includes three albums related to New York businessman Maurice Brill: a scrapbook of photographs, pictorial works, and ephemera from his "Grand Tour" of Europe and North Africa (1895); an album of 11 photographs by Schuyler Carteret Lee of Brill's residence at 163 East 63rd Street in Manhattan (circa 1919); and an album of snapshots of Brill's Meadow Edge Farm in Mount Kisco, NY, taken in 1926, with some snapshots added several decades later, perhaps in the 1960s, showing damages perhaps from a fire.

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact the Print Room Librarian at printroom@nyhistory.org.

Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact printroom@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

The collection should be cited as: Maurice Brill Albums, PR 428, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, New-York Historical Society.

Credit line: "Kathryn Brill Family"

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Maurice Brill's granddaughter, Kathryn Brill, in 2018-2021.

Collection processed by

Larry Weimer

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:48:03 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

The albums of 1919 and 1926 were previously described and included in N-YHS's general collection of albums (PR 2). In September 2021, archivist Larry Weimer combined the two albums and the related description with a third album into this newly formed collection centered on Maurice Brill.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024