Sheepshead Bay

Crabbing,1880; Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection, ARC.191, V1974.7.39; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Sheepshead Bay, like many other places in Brooklyn, has undergone many changes over the years. Named after a local fish once ubiquitous in the bay, the town was formerly a sleepy fishing village. With the advent of the subway and later the Belt Parkway, Sheepshead Bay was transformed by business and tourism. In recent years, recreational fishing fleets have declined, and more party boats and dinner boats have gained popularity. This change has caused some tension in the community, and recent legislation. Sheepshead Bay Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz recently proposed banning party boats along Emmons Avenue docks in an attempt to control rowdy behavior.

With that in mind, the photo of the week is a photograph from the earlier days of Sheepshead Bay. This 1880 photograph of a man and woman in a rowboat crabbing along Sheepshead Bay comes from the Adrian Vanderveer Martense collection. The collection contains lantern slides and photographs taken by Martense documenting Brooklyn during the last quarter of the 19th century. I think this photograph is particularly charming because the man seems proud standing on the boat, holding a hand net for crabbing, while the woman seated appears ready for a sophisticated outing. To see more photographs from this collection, check out this gallery. To learn more about the history of Sheepshead Bay, be sure to check out this book from our collection.

Interested in seeing more photos from BHS’s collection? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images. Interested in seeing even more historic Brooklyn images? Visit our Brooklyn Visual Heritage website here. To search BHS’s entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections visit BHS’s Othmer Library Wed-Sat, 1:00-5:00 p.m. photos@brooklynhistory.org