N-YHS Digital Collections

: Association for the Benefit of Colored Orphans records, 1836-1972 (bulk 1850-1936); The Association for the Benefit of Colored Orphans was founded in 1836 and was originally located on Fifth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets in Manhattan. The Colored Orphan Asylum was among the earliest organizations in the country to provide housing, training, and employment specifically for African American orphans. During the Draft Riots of July 14, 1863, the Colored Orphan Asylum was attacked by a mob. At that time, it housed some 600 to 800 homeless children in a large four story building surrounded by grounds and gardens. The crowd plundered the Asylum, then set fire to the first floor. While the children were evacuated, the building burned to the ground. The records of the Colored Orphan Asylum document the activities of the institution from 1836 to 1972, with the bulk of the records falling between 1850 and 1936.

: Bolton, Dickens & Co. account book, 1856-1858; Account book, 1856-1858, kept by the prominent slave trading firm of Bolton, Dickens & Co. of Lexington, Kentucky, with branches in Memphis, Charleston, Natchez, and New Orleans. It chiefly records people purchased and sold by the firm, with entries giving the names of enslaved people, purchase and selling price, profit, names of suppliers, and occasional remarks. Some persons involved in the firm's recorded transactions were Washington Bolton, Isaac Bolton, Samuel Dickens, and the slave trader G.L. Bumpass. Of additional note is a copy of an 1857 letter to Isaac Bolton, probably written by his brother Washington Bolton while Isaac was in prison awaiting trial for the murder of slave dealer James McMillan of Kentucky following a dispute in Memphis concerning McMillan's sale to Bolton of an enslaved 16-year old boy who was later revealed to be free, and other related documents. The volume was later employed as a day book by "B.B.W." (possibly B.B. Wadell) and contains accounts for the year 1865.

: Boys' Club of New York photographic negatives, 1920-1980; The collection contains 403 photographic negatives produced circa 1920-1980 (bulk 1920-1950) by commercial photographers on behalf of The Boys’ Club of New York ("BCNY"). The majority depict young BCNY members engaged in a variety of activities, either at the club’s Tompkins Square Building (later renamed Harriman Clubhouse) or at the William Carey Camp in Jamesport, New York. Many of the photographs were published in annual reports, where they served to promote the organization’s work.

: Castle Thunder song lyrics, circa 1863; Castle Thunder was a former tobacco warehouse in Richmond, Va., used to house prisoners during the Civil War. Three handwritten pages of lyrics entitled "Castle Thunder song," undated, written by an unnamed prisoner at Castle Thunder, circa 1863. Lyrics describe life and conditions in the prison., Castle Thunder was a former tobacco warehouse in Richmond, Va., used to house prisoners during the Civil War.

: Town Book for Castletown For the Entry of Black Children, 1799-1827; This booklet contains birth records and deeds of manumission for African American children in the town of Castleton, Staten Island, N.Y. between 1799 and 1827. Castleton is a former town located in the northeastern part of Staten Island, prior to the incorporation of Staten Island into New York City in 1898., New-York Historical Society

: Charity Organization Society of the City of New York, Tenement House Committee Strong-holds of poverty and Prevalence of disease maps, 1899; These 89 maps, hand-drawn and hand-colored, were created in 1899 under the leadership of Lawrence Veiller in conjunction with the Charity Organization Society of New York for display at the Tenement House Exhibition, held in Manhattan in February 1900. They depict neighborhoods throughout Manhattan, from the Battery to Harlem, in two series: “Strong-holds of poverty” and “Prevalence of disease.” Colored dots on the first series indicate the number of families requesting charitable assistance. On the second series, the dots represent instances of tuberculosis, typhoid fever, scarlet fever, and diphtheria. On both series, the population of each block is stamped at its center. The maps were donated to the New-York Historical Society by Lawrence Veiller in 1920.

: Columbus Avenue and the Upper West Side Oral History Project interviews, 2019 February-October; The Columbus Avenue and the Upper West Side Oral History Project documents the ways that Columbus Avenue (particularly from West 70th Street to West 94th Street) changed in the 50-year period beginning in the late 1960s. The collection consists of interviews with individuals such as property owners who moved to the area in the 1960s and began renovating buildings on Columbus Avenue and the adjoining side streets in the early 1970s; current and former small-business owners; long-time residential tenants; and former City Council member Ronnie Eldridge, who represented the Upper West Side from 1989 to 2001. Interviewees discuss changes in the retail landscape, housing stock, and socio-economics of the neighborhood with reinvestment in the area. All interviews were conducted by Leyla Vural, an oral historian, geographer, and long-time resident of the Upper West Side.

: Drucker & Baltes Co., Billboard photograph collection, circa 1918-1934; The 904 glass plate and film negatives in this collection were taken by Drucker & Baltes for the General Outdoor Advertising Company, a billboard company that was formed in 1925 through the merger of the Fulton Group and Thomas Cusack Company. The photographs record the advertisers who bought billboard space at thirteen sites in Manhattan and two sites in the Bronx. The views focus on signs but also show surrounding buildings, elevated railroads, and street activity at such heavily traveled intersections as Broadway and Seventh Avenue (Times Square), Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, Sixth Avenue at 27th Street, Eight Avenue at 110th Street, 125th Street in Harlem, and Third Avenue at 166th Street in the Bronx. The same sites appear repeatedly, sometimes monthly, during the 1920s and into the Great Depression. The photographs reveal changes in both the neighborhoods and in the advertising for many products, among them Chesterfield cigarettes, Wrigley's chewing gum, and Pepsodent toothpaste.

: Fort Delaware, Prison times, 1865; This is the first edition of the "Prison Times." The handwritten newspaper includes original articles, advertisements, announcements, barracks directory, Christian Association directory, notices of clubs, etc., by prisoners at the Fort Delaware Federal prison camp on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River. The paper's editors and proprietors include William H. Bennett, Aborn Harris, John W. Hibbs, and George S. Thomas., William H. Bennett, Aborn Harris, John W. Hibbs, and George S. Thomas fought for the Confederate Army. Bennet had the rank of captain before his inprisonment. Harris was mustered in as a sergeant in company H of the 3rd Florida Infantry Regiment. He eventually rose to the rank of third lieutenant. Hibbs was mustered in as a third lieutenant in company D of the 13th Virginia Infantry Regiment. He eventually rose to the rank of captain. George S. Thomas was mustered in as a captain in company C of the 64th Georgia Infantry Regiment. He never rose ranks.

: Ladies' Christian Union records, 1850-2001 (bulk 1858-1960); The records of the Ladies' Christian Union include annual reports, minutes, financial and real estate records, correspondence, photographs, biographical writings, membership lists, ephemera, printed brochures, articles, and manuals. The Ladies Christian Union was founded in New York City in 1858 with the aim of creating and maintaining safe, affordable housing for young, unmarried Christian women employed in the New York area. Between the years 1860-1922, the organization owned and operated a total of eight buildings in Manhattan. In 1871, the "Young Ladies Branch" of the Ladies Christian Union established itself as an independent organization known as the "Young Ladies Christian Association," better known today as the "Young Womens Christian Association" (YWCA).

: Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society records, 1832-1870; Correspondence and papers of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, originally known as the New-England Anti-Slavery Society. Included are petitions to the legislature, resolutions, donations to the Liberator, lists of members and supporters, letters about slavery, editorials, meetings, a list of individuals who had escaped slavery and were aided by the Vigilance Committee, accounts of others who had fled from slavery, including the narrative of Jonathan Thomas, a man who had escaped slavery in Kentucky; and lists, letters, editorials, and other papers pertaining to the notorious case of Anthony Burns. Persons whose names appear frequently include: Francis Jackson, Wendell Phillips, Ellis Gray Loring, Edmund Quincy, William Lloyd Garrison, and Samuel E. Sewall.

: New York Common Council, Tribute from the City of New York to the illustrious friend of freedom, 1824-1825; On the occasion of General Lafayette’s visit to New York City in 1824 the New York Common Council prepared this commemorative volume (1824-1825) containing transcripts of resolutions and addresses of various organizations as a duplicate of the volume presented to Lafayette. The volume includes numerous specimens of decorative and figural penmanship by Isaac F. Bragg and Christopher Hunt, elaborate page borders and vignettes, two small oval portraits of George Washington and General Lafayette by Henry Inman and Thomas Cummings, and four full page pen and ink wash drawings, executed by Charles Burton, depicting the United States Capitol building, Fort Lafayette (N.Y.), New York City Hall, and the construction of the Erie Canal. Text includes copies of addresses and resolutions prepared by the Common Council and various other organizations, including members of the New York Bar, the Society of the State Cincinnati, and the faculty of Columbia College. Bound in gold tooled morocco with silk doublures, signed at foot of spine by J.H. Sackmann, bookbinder, N.Y.

: Selections from the Seventh Regiment New York State National Guard records; The 7th Regiment records, 1767-1983 (bulk 1830-1947) document the history and administration of the 7th Regiment of New York. The bulk of the material pertains to regimental management, organization, and events, rather than participation in combat and other military activities. The collection contains numerous scrapbooks, visual materials, publications, artifacts, and ephemera. Portions of the collection that have been digitized include The Seventh Regiment Gazette (1886-1940), photographs, photograph albums, and ephemera.

: New-York African Free School records, 1817-1832; These records cover the latter portion of the African Free-Schools' existence, ending two years before oversight for the schools was transferred to the Public School Society. They relate to classroom observation, student performance, behavior and promotions, as well as examples of lessons and student work. The records are in four volumes. The first includes regulations, by-laws, and reports, from 1817 to 1832. The regulations are for the format of the school's examination procedures, while the reports give numbers of students promoted for each quarter. These are limited to school No. 1. A substantial portion of the volume is also made up of observations of the visiting committee, giving their impressions of the progress being made, along with the behavior and organization of the classroom and students. The second volume is also filled with reports and observations of the visiting committee, but these are limited to school No. 2, and cover 1820 to 1831. Added to the closing pages of the volume are several pages of lessons on adding, subtracting and division of money, with examples. The third volume includes extracts, compositions, addresses and pieces spoken at public examinations for 1818 to 1826, but early pages do include some material on promotions. The fourth volume complements the third with penmanship and drawing studies by the students from 1816 to 1826. Of particular interest are copies of the speech given by prominent African American physician James McCune Smith on the occasion of the Marquis de La Fayette's visit to New York in 1824. While there is little, if any, information on individuals in the first two volumes, attributions are often given for the material appearing in volumes three and four.

: New-York Historical Society management committee records, 1804-1938; The New-York Historical Society management committee records group, currently being digitized, includes records associated with the organization’s governance structure of 1804-1938. The record group includes minute books from the meetings of the Society’s members (1804-1937) and from the meetings of the Executive Committee (1842-1937), as well as from other committees and the first year (1938) of the newly-constituted Board of Trustees. The record group also includes files of so-called official papers, which include ad hoc committee reports, draft annual reports, correspondence, financial information, membership nominations, and other material directly related to the proceedings of the Society and Executive Committee meetings. The digitization of New-York Historical's management committee records is made possible through the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation.

: New-York Historical Society original buildings planning & construction records, 1901-1994

: New-York Historical Society quarterly, 1917-1980; The New-York Historical Society Quarterly (1917-1980) is an outstanding resource for the study of nearly every aspect of New York and American history and material culture, especially as illustrated through the far-ranging collections of the N-YHS Library and Museum. The New-York Historical Society Quarterly was digitized with generous support from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation and the Pine Tree Foundation.

: New-York Manumission Society records, 1785-1849; New-York Society for Promoting the Manumission of Slaves (1785-1849), commonly known as the New-York Manumission Society, was established to publicly promote the abolition of slavery and manumission of enslaved people in New York State. While this was the publicly stated goal, numerous members still enslaved people in their own households, including John Jay and Rufus King. The society provided legal and financial assistance to manumitted African Americans in need of protection and enslaved people seeking manumission, and supported legislation and efforts to enforce laws banning the sale of people in New York State. The records include meeting minutes, commission reports, financial records, indentures, and registers from the year of its organization to its dissolution in 1849. Subjects covered include appointments, elections, political activities, finances, reports on individual cases, the sponsorship and operation of the African Free School and African American houses of refuge. Among its active members were: Robert C. Cornell, W.W. Woolsey, Nehemiah Allen, Melancton Smith, William T. Slocum, Samuel Bowne, Adrian Hegeman, Willet Seaman, Thomas Burling, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, James Duane, John Murray, Jr., William Dunlap, Alexander McDougall, Noah Webster, and Egbert Benson.

: Occupy Wall Street signs and posters, 2011; The collection consists of over 400 hand-drawn and hand-printed signs and posters made for the Occupy Wall Street protest of September 2011 at Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan. They were collected in late 2011 by Grace Davie, who donated them to the New-York Historical Society in August 2019.

: Olmsted Brothers, Albums of photographs depicting the construction of Fort Tryon Park, 1930-1935; This digital collection presents one photograph album held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and six photograph albums held by the New-York Historical Society. The photographs are of the design and construction of Fort Tryon Park by the Olmsted Brothers firm and date from 1930 to 1935. The albums have black covers and black-and-white or sepia-colored photographs mounted on grey paper. Printed labels on the cover of the albums have text: "Olmsted Brothers, Landscape Architects, Brookline, Mass."

: Plymouth Committee, The annexed plate represents the lower deck of an African ship of 297 tons burthen, with the slaves stowed on it ... [1789?]; This engraving shows bodies packed into the cargo hold of a slave ship. First published in 1788 by the Plymouth Committee of the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, it gestures toward the brutality of the Middle Passage from Africa to New World slave markets. By the end of the eighteenth century, the image had proliferated in British and American abolitionist propaganda in varied forms and with different accompanying texts. It remains today one of the most recognizable symbols of abolition and the transatlantic slave trade. The engraved illustration has caption: "Plan of an African ship’s lower deck, with Negroes, in the proportion of not quite one to a ton". Signed at end: By the Plymouth Committee, W. Elford, chairman. Printed as a broadside in Philadelphia, 1789 under title: Remarks on the slave trade., English short title catalogue T148326, New-York Historical Society

: Rhode Island (Ship), Trade book of the sloop Rhode Island, December 1748-July 1749; Account book, January 18-May 6, 1749, kept aboard the sloop Rhode Island while on a voyage to Africa to transport enslaved Africans to America for her owners, Philip Livingston and Sons, New York City. Peter James was shipmaster. Included are accounts for the purchase of enslaved people, and goods like gold, for sales of rum and other provisions to the crew, various expenses, the purchase of provisions, an inventory of goods delivered to Captain David Lindsey, a record of the deaths of those held captive on the ship, and other incidents aboard the Rhode Island, etc. The trading was carried out on various locations between contemporary Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast.

: Time, Inc. The March of Time radio scripts and newsreel continuities, 1931-1951

: Time, Inc. department head lists, 1949-1987; Part of the extensive Time Inc. archive donated to the New-York Historical Society in 2015, this collection of Time Inc. department head lists and directories spanning nearly four decades provides valuable insights into the growth of the company, its diversification over the years, and movement of employees within the company over time. In 1949, the company administered Time, Life, Fortune, Architectural Forum, and the March of Time. By 1987, it encompassed numerous magazines, other publications, and subsidiaries, as well as Home Box Office. The department head lists also reflect the organization of the Time Inc. archive into its constituent record groups. For more information about the Time Inc. Records, visit https://www.nyhistory.org/library/findingaids/manuscripts#Time

: Time, Inc. TIME Letters Department reports, 1938-1980

: Time, Inc. LIFE Letters Department reports, 1937-1972

: Works Project Administration, Photographic record of Work Projects Administration for the City of New York : Education and Recreation District Office work project activities, 1938; Album of photographs produced by the Education and Recreation District Office of the Work Projects Administration, New York City, in 1938. The photographs depict children and adults engaged in educational and recreational activities as part of various city programs, including the Child Nutrition Program, the Recreation Program for Pre-School Age Children, the Recreational Day Camp Program, the Adult Education Program, the New Reading Materials Program, the Program for Handicapped Children, the Remedial Reading Program, the Field Activities Program, the Community Center Program, the Elementary School Activities Program, the Objective Teaching Materials Project, the Recreational Agencies Program, the Nursery School Program, the Recreation Truant Program, the Street and Play Center Program, and the Adjustment Program for Problem Cases. Title from cover. "Mary C. Tinney" stamped at lower right of cover. Gift of Work Projects Administration, March 26, 1943., New-York Historical Society

: Abigail Adams letters, 1787-1815, undated; Abigail Adams, who served as the second First Lady of the United States, was the wife of President John Adams, and the mother of President John Quincy Adams. Correspondence between Abigail Adams and family and friends, including her uncle Cotton Tufts, and her son John Quincy Adams. The letters discuss matters relating to family, illness, personal finances and the running of a household, the U.S. Congress at Philadelphia, and American politics. One letter, signed, dated Boston, July 20, 1787, to Hon. Cotton Tufts, comments upon Shays' Rebellion.

: Joshua B. Aldridge letters to Anthony Van Schaick, Esq., 1806; Two autograph letters, signed, from Joshua B. Aldridge to Anthony Van Schaick, Esq. of Albany, dated Ballston Spa, N.Y., August 23 and September 15, 1806, regarding the collection of a debt from one John Green. Both letters also bear notations "Sup. Court" and "[Plaintiffs] letter" on reverse. The note referred to in the first letter is not present.

: Selected Papers of William Alexander, Lord Stirling, 1767-1782; Known as the "Republican Earl", William Alexander, "Lord Stirling", was born in 1726 in New York City. He served on the Provincial Councils of New York and New Jersey, and in 1775, joined the Whigs in rebellion against the Crown. In March 1776 Alexander was appointed brigadier general and took chief command of the defense of New York City. In 1777, he was promoted to major-general. He died in January 1783 of fever and gout. These selected papers, spanning the years 1767 to 1782 (with a gap between late December 1779 and June 1781), consist of correspondence sent and received, military orders and reports, and bulletins to the Continental Congress. The earliest documents relate Lord Stirling’s early commercial dealings, but the bulk of the papers chronicle his activities during the American Revolution. Notable correspondents include most of the military and political leaders of the new state and national governments, as well as prominent merchants in New York and New Jersey.

: Edward Annely letter to William Kempe, Esq., 1754; Autograph letter, signed, from Edward Annely, dated Philadelphia, August 22, 1754, to William Kempe, Esq. Annely requests Kempe’s help and advice in both collecting a debt and in raising funds from a sale of stock in a copper mine on Annely’s property. Annely refers to his estate in Whitestone, but not the state., Addressee may be William Kempe (d. 1759), Attorney General for the colony of New York from 1752-1759.

: Susan B. Anthony letters, 1859-1888, undated; Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) was a key figure in the women's suffrage and abolitionist movements in the United States. Five of the letters concern speeches by Frederick Douglass, Theodore Tilton, Julia Ward Howe, and Mary L. Booth, as well as Anthony's own speaking engagements. Recipients include Theodore Tilton and Mary L. Booth. One letter is about remaking a dress. One letter is undated but is probably written by Anthony around November 1895, since it regards Elizabeth Cady Stanton's 80th birthday celebration at the Metropolitan Opera House, organized by Anthony and Mary Lowe Dickinson.

: Eugene L. Armbruster photograph collection, 1894-1939; Eugene L. Armbruster (1865-1943) was born in Baden-Baden, Germany, and came to the United States in 1882. His first job was with H. Henkel Cigar Box Manufacturing Company, where he continued to work until his retirement in 1920. He lived in Bushwick, Brooklyn, with his wife and two children, Julia and Eugene Jr. Armbruster took photographs beginning in the late 19th century, but the majority of his work is from the 1910s and 1920s. Around the time of his retirement, Armbruster became interested in local history and began to photograph his environs in earnest, specifically the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. He took thousands of photographs of historic houses, churches, streetscapes, and buildings throughout New York City and Long Island. For a detailed finding aid to the collection, see http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/nyhs/armbruster/.

: William Atlee letter to Joseph Nourse, 1777; Autograph letter, signed, from William Atlee, Deputy Commissoner of Prisoners, to Joseph Nourse, Deputy Secretary of the Board of War, dated Lancaster, August 23, 1777. Letter discusses the transfer of British and German prisoners to various locations throughout Pennsylvania, and supply and intelligence issues.

: Christopher Bancker journals, 1718-1750.; New York City merchant Christopher Bancker's journal, May 11, 1718 to February 28, 1750, recording sales of general merchandise and accounts of business and personal transactions., Christopher Bancker (1695-1763) was a merchant in New York City.

: Bannerman family photographic negatives, undated; This collection consists of 24 glass plate negatives of Pollepel (Bannerman) Island and the estate Francis Bannerman VI (1851-1918) built there. Following the Civil War, Bannerman founded a company, Francis Bannerman Co., specializing in military surplus and scrap. In 1900 he purchased Pollepel Island, a small island located in the Hudson River just north of West Point, N.Y., with the aim to turn it into a safe storage location for his large stores of military surplus. Bannerman designed plans to have a unique, Scottish-style estate constructed on the island to serve his business and personal needs. The family owned both the business and the island until the late 1960s.

: Register of baptisms, marriages, communicants & funerals begun by Henry Barclay at Fort Hunter, January 26th 1734/5; Register of baptisms, marriages, communicants and funerals among the Mohawk Indians, including entries from January 26, 1734/5 through February 16, 1745/6. Rev. Henry Barclay was born in Albany. He graduated from Yale in 1734, and was appointed catechist to the Mohawks at Fort Hunter, N.Y. in 1736. He went to England in 1737, where he was ordained January 30, 1737/8 and sent back by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel as missionary in Albany and Fort Hunter. He reached Albany in April, 1738 and continued his work there and at Fort Hunter until October, 1746, when he was inducted rector of Trinity Church, New York. He died in 1764., New-York Historical Society

: Bartram family letters, 1743-1796; Autograph letters from members of the Bartram family. Two letters, both by John Bartram (1699-1777), are of particular interest: the first to Cadwallader Colden, describing his recent expedition up the Susquehanna River; the second to William Bartram, which begins "Dear Billy, I have now a most grievous cough that teaseth me night and day yet I have sent thee six likely young negroes among which is [sic] two young breeding wenches..." John Bartram was a prominent botanist who established a successful garden in Kingsessing, Pa. and led numerous expeditions throughout the Eastern United States.

: Stephen Bayard letters, 1728-1743; Four letters from Stephen Bayard to Gilbert Livingston of Kingston, N.Y., and one to Evert Wendell of Albany, dated New York between 1728 and 1743, before Bayard became mayor of the city. The correspondence is largely concerned with financial matters, especially debts Bayard wished to collect. One letter to Livingston is signed by both Stephen and Nicholas Bayard; another, dated December 6, 1731, mentions new governmental appointments in New York and New Jersey and praises a grand jury charge by James De Lancey., Stephen Bayard was the mayor of New York from 1744 to 1747.

: Jessie Tarbox Beals photograph collection, circa 1905-1940; The Jessie Tarbox Beals Collection contains 420 black and white photographs, circa 1900-1940, primarily of New York City and its inhabitants. It also includes postcards, as well as larger prints, of bohemian Greenwich Village between 1905 and 1920. Jessie Tarbox Beals (1870-1942), a school teacher who taught herself photography, joined the Buffalo Courier staff in 1902 and became known as the first woman press photographer. She moved to New York City in 1905 and remained there for most of her career, leaving only to settle in southern California and Chicago for a few years during the late 1920s and early 1930s. She practiced many types of commercial photography with the vigor and speed associated with news work. Her body of work includes portraits, garden photography, city street scenes, fashion photography, and documentary photography.

: Henry Bergh letters, 1866-1884; Henry Bergh founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and helped form both the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. This collection consists of seven letters by Henry Burgh, most concerning the A.S.P.C.A., or cases of animal cruelty. They are accompanied by one portrait engraving autographed by Burgh. Letter recipients include Orange County, N.Y. justice of the peace John Burt; New York state senator Augustus R. Elwood; the editor of the New York Tribune; actor Lester Wallack; and writer Henry Sedley. Of particular interest are two letters: the first, dated December 11, 1866, protesting the regular feeding of live animals to a snake at Barnums museum; and the second, dated November 7, 1881, requesting that Wallack find a position for "a beautiful young lady, of my acquaintance" at his new theater.

: Herman A. Blumenthal photograph collection, approximately 1905-1939; 2,130 photographs, including glass plate negatives, cellulose nitrate negatives, and prints, produced by Fritz E. Bjorkman and most likely collected by Herman Blumenthal for visual research. The photographs depict a large number of places, including New York, Ohio, Maryland, Florida, California, the U.S. Southwest, and Mexico. One particular focus of the collection is parades, including photographs of an Armistice Day parade, a Liberty Day parade, parades commemorating the second and third Liberty Loans, and a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Along with many family photographs, the collection also includes photographs of monuments, memorials, buildings, canals, houses, and battleships. Herman A. Blumenthal worked as an art director and production designer for the 20th Century Fox film studio in Beverly Hills, California and received Academy Awards for his work in “Cleopatra” (1963) and “Hello, Dolly!” (1969). His other film work includes “The Three Faces of Eve” (1957), “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (1959), “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” (1961), “What’s Up , Doc?” (1972), and “Westworld” (1973). Fritz E. Bjorkman was an electrical engineer born in Sweden who emigrated to the United States with his parents.

: Sarah R. Blunt correspondence, March 4, 1862-July 24, 1865; Sarah R. Blunt (born in 1830 or 1831) was a Union nurse during the Civil War. Leaving her home and family in Brooklyn's third ward, Blunt aided soldiers at Point Lookout, Maryland, and Harper's Ferry, Virginia. This collection includes Sarah R. Blunt's letters to her mother, father, sisters, and cousin in Brooklyn, New York, written from hospitals in Point Lookout, Maryland and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (March 4, 1862-July 24, 1865). She writes of her living conditions, duties, and the wounded soldiers.

: William Oland Bourne left-handed penmanship papers, 1862-1868 (bulk 1865-1868); The William Oland Bourne collection in the New-York Historical Society's Manuscripts Department includes correspondence, papers, broadsides, and unpublished manuscripts related to his work as a social reformer, editor and author in New York City during the 1850s and 60s. Through his publication, The Soldier's Friend, he sought to aid disabled soldiers by offering prizes to those who had lost their right arms in combat during the American Civil War and had learned to write with their left hands. It is the material relating to this enterprise that was selected from the collection for digitization. The selection includes letters, photographs and papers regarding the competition sponsored by Bourne's publication, The Soldier's Friend, for best specimens of left-handed penmanship by disabled soldiers., William Oland Bourne (1819-1901), social reformer, editor, and author in New York City. He was the editor of 'Soldiers Friend,' a publication hat advocated for the rehabilitation of soldiers who suffered injuries and trauma during the American Civil War. He lived and worked in New York City.

: Robert L. Bracklow photograph collection, 1882-1918 (bulk 1896-1905); Robert Louis Bracklow (1849-1919) was an amateur photographer and stationer. He was an active member of the Society of Amateur Photographers of New York (later the Camera Club), where he exhibited photographs with fellow amateur Richard H. Lawrence and with Alfred Stieglitz. This digital collection includes 2,084 glass plate negatives from the New-York Historical Society's Robert L. Bracklow Photograph Collection, which contains images of New York City, its immediate environs, and towns throughout New England from 1882 to 1918. Bracklow’s photographs often show elements of Manhattan in flux: old houses, new skyscrapers, and buildings in different stages of construction. The digitization of this collection was funded in part by a grant from the Metropolitan New York Library Council.

: Martha Bradstreet papers, 1772-1868; Papers, 1774-1868, mainly consisting of correspondence and legal documents relating to Martha Bradsteets attempts to regain title to land in Utica (N.Y.), which was originally part of the property of General John Bradstreet, the stepfather of Bradstreet's father, Samuel. Title to the land became confused by a poorly drafted deed of sale to Peter Schuyler in 1793, and Martha Bradstreet's claim to the land was further complicated by the terms of the will of her aunt, Elizabeth Livius. Because Bradstreet married Matthew Codd in 1799 without the approval of Charles Morgan, the executor of the will, her share of the property reverted to her brother, Samuel Bradstreet. When Morgan approved the marriage in 1801, she found much of the land had been sold, and her litigation, in a case which was finally decided against her in 1831, was an attempt to cancel the sales and regain possession of the land. The correspondence contains some personal letters, but is mainly concerned with the case; the bulk of it dates from 1815. There are also wills, leases, powers of attorney, and other miscellaneous papers and bills.

: James F. Brown papers, 1827-1866; James F. Brown (1793-1868) was the gardener of the Verplanck family at Mount Gulian, Fishkill, New York. Brown had been enslaved in Maryland before running away, and the Verplancks purchased his time after he was found by his enslaver. The collection consists of 8 diaries, 1829-1866, during which time Brown was gardener for the Verplanck family; 1 receipt book, 1832-1857, recording some personal and household expenses, although most entries are unspecified; and 1 memorandum book, 1827-1843. Entries in the diaries are brief, with little elaboration, and pertain to such matters as the weather, local deaths, his gardening activities, the passage of boats on the Hudson, etc. The diaries are not entirely chronological, as in several instances the entries for a year have been copied into a later volume.

: Mary Guion Brown diary, 1800-1852 (bulk 1800-1808); Diary kept by Mary Guion, of North Castle, New York, who married Samuel Brown in 1807. Beginning when she was 17, she records, in considerable detail, the personal and social life of a young girl in Westchester County, N.Y., including daily activities, her efforts to encourage or discourage some of her many suitors, often quoting their conversation in her entries, courting, visits to friends and relatives, local news, social events such as balls and spinning bees, and reflections on life and love. She frequently mentions various members of the Smith, Knapp, Lownsbury, Haight, Hobby, and Searles families. Entries become less frequent after 1808 and mainly concern significant events such as births and deaths.

: Charlotte Browne diary, 1754-1757, 1763-1766; Charlotte Browne was matron of the general hospital in North America. Her diary, 1754-1757, describes a voyage from London to Virginia on board the ship London laden with hospital supplies as part of an expedition of thirteen transports, three ordnance ships, and two convoys carrying the 44th and 48th regiments to America. The diary includes accounts of Braddock's campaign in Virginia, Maryland, Philadelphia, and New York. At the end are some financial notes dated 1763 to 1766. This diary is probably a fair copy transcribed by Browne from her original notes and is bound in a flap binding of green stained vellum stamped in gold.

: Browning photograph collection, circa 1920-1938; The Browning Photograph Collection contains photographs produced primarily in the 1920s and 1930s by Irving Browning and his commercial photography firm in and around New York City. The varied subject matter, which includes street life during the Great Depression and the construction of Art Deco skyscrapers, reflects the social and economic realities of the time period while also showcasing Browning's technical and aesthetic brilliance.

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