Ditmas lantern slide collection
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Abstract
Black-and-white and hand colored slides depicting farms, barns, rural areas, boathouses, street scenes, buildings, and residences between circa 1851 and 1905. The slides are attributed to Charles Ditmas and may have been used in connection with his presentations on Brooklyn history.
Biographical note
Charles Andrew Ditmas (1887-1938) was a descendant of the Lott family of Brooklyn. The family's common ancestor was Pieter Lot, who emigrated from the Netherlands in 1652 and settled in Flatlands, Kings County. Charles Ditmas was the son of Andrew Ditmas, himself the son of Bergen Lott (1819-1873) and Charles Burr Ditmas (1813-1852).
Ditmas was a historian and genealogist, and the founder and president of the Kings County Historical Society, which served as the central historical society for Kings County from 1911 until sometime in the early to mid-twentieth century. At that time, many of the Kings County Historical Society's collections were transferred to the Long Island Historical Society (now the Center for Brooklyn History). Ditmas also served as Assistant Librarian of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, and was editor of the society's publication, the "New York Genealogical and Biographical Record," during the early 1900s.
Ditmas published numerous genealogies and histories of families and important places in Brooklyn, especially Flatlands. Among his many publications are: Auto trip Through Historic Brooklyn: Many Points of Revolutionary Interest may be Visited in Afternoon Journey: Monuments and Tablets tell of Battle of Long Island (1926), Historic Homesteads of Kings County, Brooklyn, N.Y. (1909), The life and service of Major-General William Alexander also called the Earl of Stirling (1920), The Small Beginnings of Literature in Kings County (1922), History of Amersfort Place (Flatlands, Kings County, N.Y.) (1963, with Harriet Stryker-Rodda), and Genealogical Memoranda, Mainly from Church and Family Records: The Antonides Genealogy (1919, with Teunis G. Bergen). In addition to his devoted career as a historian and genealogist, Charles A. Ditmas was deeply involved in social, academic, and political endeavors in the Brooklyn, New York, and surrounding area communities.
Scope and Contents
The Ditmas lantern slide collection dates from circa 1851 to 1905 and contains 53 lantern slides. The collection includes both black-and-white and hand colored slides depicting farms, barns, rural areas, boathouses, street scenes, buildings, and residences. Most locations are unidentified. The slides are attributed to Charles Ditmas and may have been used in connection with his presentations on Brooklyn history.
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
The materials in this collection are in the public domain.
While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Ditmas lantern slide collection, V1974.018, Box number, Object ID number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Source and date of acquisition for the collection are unknown. The collection was accessioned in 1974.
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