Arthur Weindorf glass plate negatives
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The negatives in this collection document the construction of the sewer system and subway tunnels in Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Biographical note
Arthur Weindorf (1885-1979) was a Queens-born illustrator and artist. Weindorf provided illustrations for newspapers and magazines in addition to exhibiting original paintings and drawings. In 1908, he began his career at the Public Service Commission of the City of New York, a predecessor agency to the New York City Transit Authority. As an engineer and designer, Weindorf created models and drawings of subway tunnels and stations for the Commission.
Scope and Contents
The Arthur Weindorf glass plate negatives date from circa 1901 to 1920 and contain 224 items. The negatives document the construction of the sewer system and subway tunnels in Brooklyn. Sewer images in the collection are located in Brooklyn, mainly in the Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Brooklyn neighborhoods, and show excavation and bracing of tunnels, construction workers, tunnel interiors, pipe yards, street-level views of drainage (called catch basins), and street-level photographs with hand-illustrated underground renderings of pipe placement. Subway stations include the Clark Street station in Brooklyn Heights, the 4th Avenue station in Park Slope, and the Coney Island train yard. Subway tunnel-related negatives mainly show models and illustrated plans. In addition, the collection contains street scenes and photographs of open air markets in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn.
A small number of film negatives and prints from glass plate negatives are also included.
Subjects
Genres
Topics
Conditions Governing Access
Open to users without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Based on the creator's date of death, all items in this collection will enter the public domain in 2049. 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); Arthur Weindorf glass plate negatives, V1974.024, Box number, Object ID number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Source of acquisition is unknown. This collection was acquired in 1972 and formally accessioned in 1974.
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.
About this Guide
Processing Information
This collection was rehoused and the finding aid revised by Dee Bowers in 2023.
