Burton Sisters

[Portrait of three women], ca 1885, v1981.283.48, Burton family paper and photographs, ARC.217; Brooklyn Historical Society.

I love this tintype photograph of sisters Minnie Burton and Virginia Burton with their sister-in-law (presumably Josie Newcombe) seated with arms interlocked, identical outfits, and fierce expressions. This photograph was taken around 1885 by an unknown photographer, but likely at a studio in Brooklyn.

The Burton family included William H. Burton, a house painter, and his wife Virginia Baptista, both immigrants who created a home at 436 Lafayette Avenue in what is now considered the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. They had five children: Percival, Virginia E., Minnie, Charles, and Sidney. This photograph is from the Burton family papers and photographs collection that comprises manuscript materials such as bonds, deeds, mortgages, family correspondence, school ephemera, account books, and driver’s licenses. This collection also includes 189 photographic items of the Burton Family. To see more photographs from this collection, see this gallery.

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. library@brooklynhistory.org