Series II: Photographs of The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island
Scope and Contents note
Series II consists of approximately 300 photographs of outer boroughs of New York City. Photographs are arranged alphabetically by borough and thereunder alphabetically by title/description. Because the subseries for Brooklyn is much larger than for the other boroughs, it has been further subdivided as described below. Each subseries or Brooklyn subject division is divided into unmounted and mounted photographs to accommodate conservation housing needs. Numbers in parentheses refer to the number of photographs available for that subject.
Photographs of The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island are very few. Railroad and streets scenes are complemented by a few photographs of residences, schools, and institutions, such as New York University's Library and the Hall of Fame in The Bronx. A view of Queens from the Queensboro bridge toll plaza, and a photograph of a toll gate building at Jamaica Avenue and Van Wyck Boulevard are available in the Queens subseries. The few photographs of Staten Island sites include those of the Anson Phelps Stokes House and the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in St. George.
Photographs of Hall's own borough of Brooklyn are more numerous and have been arranged in the following categories: Buildings, Churches, Cityscapes and Panoramic Views, Parks and Resorts, Residences, Statues and Monuments, and Street Scenes. Thereunder they are arranged alphabetically by title/description.
Buildings depicted include many prominent Brooklyn Institutions, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, City Hall, the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences (Brooklyn Museum), and historic Ebbets Field. Images abound of Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian and Dutch Reformed churches. Cityscapes and Panoramic Views includes several rooftops views of Brooklyn, many of which include the riverfront.
The Parks and Resorts category is large, and contains views of Coney Island beaches, resorts, and hotels, as well as views of Prospect Park and Fort Greene Park. The new popular developments along Coney Islands beaches in the 1890s through the 1910s are particularly well documented. The Manhattan Beach Hotel and the Oriental Hotel are captured from a variety of vantage points, including those from ships off the coast.
Included in the Residences category is 642 Flatbush Avenue, the home of George P. Hall in the 1890s. Statues and Monuments includes a few views of the U.S. Grant Statue at Bedford and Dean Streets. Street Scenes are primarily along Atlantic Avenue, and include one unidentified parade scene.