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Center for Brooklyn History Finding Aids
Guide to the Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection ARC.191

Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection

Call Number

ARC.191

Date

1872-1889, inclusive

Creator

Martense, Adrian V. (Adrian Vanderveer)

Extent

5.5 Linear Feet
in three lantern slide boxes and two flat boxes.

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Lantern slides and photographs taken by Adrian Vanderveer Martense that document Brooklyn during the last quarter of the 19th century, in particular Flatbush and the Blizzard of 1888, as well as other subjects. The collection also includes four scrapbooks and one notebook compiled by Martense between 1872 and 1889.

Biographical note

Adrian Vanderveer Martense (1852-1898) was an amateur photographer who was a descendent of early Dutch settlers in Brooklyn. The Martense family were longtime residents of Flatbush, one of the original six towns of Brooklyn and today a neighborhood in the borough of Brooklyn comprised of numerous smaller neighborhoods including Midwood, Ditmas Park, Fiske Terrace, Beverly Square (East and West), Prospect Park South, Caton Park, and Albemarle-Kenmore Terraces. In Flatbush, the Martense family built a homestead which included land that is now part of Green-Wood Cemetery. The Martense homestead stood for several generations until the family sold it in 1889, when Flatbush was transitioning from a farming community into an inner suburb.

For Adrian Vanderveer Martense, Flatbush became a subject for his photography. Martense documented houses, streets, and his friends and neighbors in Flatbush, as well as momentous events such as the Blizzard of 1888. Martense was a member of the Brooklyn Academy of Photography (which became the Brooklyn Camera Club in 1896) and served as its first recording secretary when it was established in 1887.

Sources:

  1. Ditmas, Charles Andrew. "The Adrian Martense Homestead." In Historic Homesteads of Kings County, Brooklyn, N.Y. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Self published, 1909. Accessed March 31, 2011. http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Town/Homesteads/Martense.html
  2. Back, Adina and Francis Morrone. Flatbush Neighborhood History Guide. New York: Brooklyn Historical Society, 2008.
  3. Brooklyn Camera Club. "Brooklyn Camera Club History." Accessed March 31, 2011. http://www.brooklyncameraclub.org/brooklyncameraclub/History.html

Scope and Contents

This collection contains lantern slides and photographs taken by Adrian Vanderveer Martense documenting Brooklyn during the last quarter of the 19th century, in particular Flatbush, Brooklyn and the Blizzard of 1888, as well as other images of Brooklyn. The collection also includes four scrapbooks and one notebook compiled by Martense between 1872 and 1889. The collection is organized into three series: Lantern slides, circa 1880; Photograph albums, 1886 to 1888; and Scrapbooks and notebook, 1872 to 1889. The collection also includes some prints and 35mm slides created from the lantern slides.

Subjects

Genres

Topics

Places

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use

Items in the collection created by Adrian Vanderveer Martense entered the public domain in 1968. All commercially produced slides are in the public domain. 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); Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection, ARC.191, Box number, Object ID number (if applicable); Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The scrapbooks were a gift of Mr. J. Duffield Prince, 1952. The lantern slides were a gift of J.W. Prince, 1976. The source and date of acquisition for the photograph albums are unknown.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

The collection's digital surrogates should be used in place of the originals whenever possible.

Related Materials

Martense family papers (1994.003)

Brooklyn clubs collection (ARC.172) - Midwood Club scrapbook by Adrian V. Martense.

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital versions of images from the lantern slides in the collection are available via the Brooklyn Historical Society online image database. Please consult library staff for more information.

Collection processed by

Patricia Glowinski

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-03-25 20:33:48 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is written in: English, Latin script.

Processing Information

Minimally processed to the series level except the lantern slides which have been processed to the item level.

This collection combines the accessions V1974.007; V1986.014; V1986.246; and 1977.164.

This finding aid was revised by Dee Bowers in March 2026 to reflect rehousing of some materials.

Repository

Center for Brooklyn History

Series 1: Lantern slides, circa 1880

Box: 1 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)
Box: 2 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)
Box: 3 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)

Extent

1 Linear Feet 133 lantern slides in two lantern slide boxes.

Scope and Contents

The lantern slides were made by Martense in the 1880s and concentrate on Flatbush, Brooklyn, in particular Martense's neighborhood and neighbors in Flatbush.

Series 2: Photograph albums, 1886-1888, inclusive

Box: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Scope and Contents

This series consists of two photographs albums compiled by Martense from his own photography.

The Blizzard of 1888 photograph album (accession V1986.014) primarily contains scenes of Flatbush, Brooklyn after the blizzard. The photographs are albumen prints and are mounted onto the pages of the album. Bound into the album is a letter written to Martense by W.L. Keese. Keese was a subject in at least one of Martense's photographs and seems to have been a neighbor.

The second photograph album, 1886 to 1888 (accession V1986.246), contains photographs of Martense's neighborhood in Flatbush including views looking out from Martense's house; informal portraits of his Flatbush neighbors (many are outside shots); views of Prospect Park; and exterior and interior views of houses in his neighborhood.

Series 3: Scrapbooks and notebook, 1872-1889, inclusive

Box: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Box: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Language of Materials

English

Scope and Contents

The four scrapbooks consist of clippings compiled by Martense and are titled: "Fun," "Religion I," "Extracts II," and "Extracts IV." The notebook, dated 1872 and titled "Scraps," consists of handwritten literary quotes from writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, James Russell Lowell, John Paul (born John Paul Friedrich Richter), and George Eliot, among others.

Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
https://bklynlibrary.org/cbh