Green-Wood Cemetery viewbooks
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Abstract
The Green-Wood Cemetery viewbooks date from the period 1884 to 1891and measure .09 linear feet. The collection consists of four viewbooks that document sepulchral monuments within Green-Wood Cemetery.
Historical note
The Green-Wood Cemetery, established in 1838, was designed by David Bates Douglass to be used both as a cemetery and as a public space. It served as a park to Brooklyn and Manhattan residents before Central Park and Prospect Park were constructed and was also used as an inspiration for the design of Central Park by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted. Located in what is now the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, people have visited the cemetery over the years to pay respect to the deceased interred there, as well as to experience the natural park-like setting and the views of New York Harbor. Since the reinterment of De Witt Clinton at the cemetery in 1844 (he was originally buried in Albany, N.Y.), Green-Wood has become an extremely popular local attraction, with people visiting the cemetery to see the famous and infamous buried there. In 2007, Green-Wood Cemetery was designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior. As of 2011, there are over 560,000 people interred within its 478 acres.
Fritschler & Selle were Brooklyn-based publishers whose office was located at 684 5th Avenue. The Photo-Engraving Company was established in 1871 by John Calvin Moss (1838-1892). In 1891, the company's office was located at 67 Park Place in Manhattan. Viewbooks, also called 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 27, 2011. http://www.getty.edu/vow/AATFullDisplay?find=viewbooks&logic=AND¬e=&english=N&prev_page=1&subjectid=300026684
- Green-Wood Cemetery. "About/History." Accessed July 13, 2011. http://www.green-wood.com/about-history/
- "Sunset Park." In The Neighborhoods of Brooklyn, edited by Kenneth T. Jackson and John B. Manbeck, 200-205. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2004.
- Bergman, Edward F. "Green-Wood Cemetery." In The Encyclopedia of New York City, edited by Kenneth T. Jackson, 509-510. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press; New York: New-York Historical Society, 1995.
Scope and Contents
The Green-Wood Cemetery viewbooks date from the period 1884 to 1891and measure .09 linear feet. The collection consists of four viewbooks that document sepulchral monuments within Green-Wood Cemetery. Two viewbooks were published by Fritschler & Selle in 1884 and are comprised of 23 black-and-white non-photographic prints of illustrations of views within the cemetery. The viewbooks retain their original hardcovers. Pages from one of the viewbooks have separated from the binding, and page size for both viewbooks measure 3.5" x 5.2". The third viewbook was published by the Photo-Engraving Company in 1891 and contains 26 black-and-white non-photographic prints of photographs showing views within the cemetery. It also retains its original hardcover, with page size measuring 5"x 6.3". Some of the pages have separated from the binding. The publishing information for the fourth viewbook is missing but it is assumed to also be an 1884 publication by Fritschler & Selle.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Reproduction rights for images from the viewbooks 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); Green-Wood Cemetery viewbooks, ARC.237, Box number, Object ID number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The 1884 viewbook was a gift of D. Irving Mead, date unknown. The source and date of acquisition for the other viewbooks are unknown. The viewbooks were formally accessioned in 1986, 1989, and 1993.
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.
This collection combines the accessions V1986.039, V1986.251, V1989.006, and V1993.009.
Sponsor Note
Repository
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This finding aid does not include an online listing of contents.
To learn about viewing this collection in person, please contact cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org.
