We have filing cabinets full of ephemera -- campaign materials, menus, ticket stubs, old library cards, beer coasters -- all the typical daily detritus which, through our careful selection and preservation, we have saved from the trash bin. But a filing cabinet is no place for what are, more often than not, strikingly designed historical materials. So in an attempt to air out these easily overlooked treasures, we here at the Brooklyn Collection will start posting images of our favorite flotsam and jetsam every week to offer an unglossed peek at some of the surviving bits of Brooklyn's past.
The images in our first installment -- of locks, olives, and hats -- all come from the Business and Industry folders of our ephemera collection.
LOCKS (1883) from Wilson Bohannon, manufacturer of bronze metal patent pad locks (with Japanned chains) at 756 Lexington Ave.
OLIVES (1931) from Austin, Nichols & Co., importers and packers of olives, at North 3rd St. and Kent Ave.
Note accompanying the catalog: "The illustrations in this book are made from photographs and are a true reproduction of the actual package, showing the full size of the package, also the size of the fruit"
HATS (1896/1897) from the Dunlap Co. at 60 Nostrand Avenue
Catalog includes the styles: Men, Young Men, Opera, Boys' Speciaties, Ladies' Specialties, Ladies' Riding, Ladies' Walking, and Coachmen.
More to come next week!
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
Gorgeous pics of olives and
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