Happy Thanksgiving!

[Edna Machtiger’s Wedding, Thanksgiving Day], 1946, V1991.11.103.2; Harry Kalmus papers and photographs, ARC.046; Brooklyn Historical Society.

As you prep for your Thanksgiving celebrations or travels, we bring you a photo of the week that takes us back to Thanksgiving, 1946. This photo depicts an unidentified man carrying a plate of food for Edna Machtiger’s wedding on Thanksgiving Day, 1946. Do you think there’s turkey on that plate?

A New York Times article published on November 26, 1946, describes a suggested menu for a Thanksgiving Feast: “Traditional fare from Turkey to nuts is what most families seem to prefer for Thanksgiving dinner. Here is a menu that includes most of the foods that have held an honored place on the holiday table since Colonial days: Grapefruit and grape cocktail, roast turkey, sweet potato-sausage stuffing, giblet gravy, boiled onions, broccoli with lemon butter, celery pickles olives, apple coleslaw with fresh watercress, squash or pumpkin pie, coffee, fruit and nuts.” How will your meal compare? However you decide to celebrate the holiday, we hope you have a relaxing and safe Thanksgiving Day!

This photograph comes from the Harry Kalmus papers and photographs collection. Harry grew up on Vermont Street in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. After serving in World War II, he returned to Brooklyn and began his career as a professional photographer. He worked for advertising agencies and corporate office, as well as an event photographer documenting weddings and bar mitzvahs in Brooklyn. This collection comprises photographs and papers from 1938 to 1987, and primarily make up photographs from his career in Brooklyn. Most of the collection is not digitized, but we hope you’ll make an appointment at the Othmer Library to view Kalmus’ many photographs documenting Brooklyn family events!

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