To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Brooklyn Dodgers' victory over the Yankees in the 1955 World Series, the Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) curated PLAY BALL! – an exhibit that told the story of the Brooklyn Dodgers and Jackie Robinson. Today’s Photo of the Week captures a moment from the exhibition's opening day festivities, where attendees were invited to participate in a variety of baseball-themed activities celebrating the legacy of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
On October 29, 1995, with peanuts and crackerjacks in hand, children and their families immersed themselves in a celebration of Brooklyn and the Dodgers. They made banners honoring the beloved team, donned baseball uniforms for photos, embarked on a 'Dodgers Super Sleuth' treasure hunt, and joined performer Georga Accola for stories, songs, and games about baseball in the Othmer library. In one of the most interactive parts of the exhibition, visitors also had the opportunity to channel their inner radio sportscaster, stepping into the "WBHS" studio to call an old-time baseball game.
PLAY BALL! was an interactive exhibition and discovery gallery specifically designed for adults and children to explore history together. Old-time Brooklynites fondly reminisced about the 1955 World Series Championship with their grandchildren, families took turns learning baseball signals together, and everyone gathered to look through the selection of books and games available in the exhibit. Although PLAY BALL! was not the first or last baseball-related exhibition hosted by BHS, it did signify a meaningful shift.
Before PLAY BALL!, the society had established itself as a frontrunner in urban history, gaining national acclaim for exhibitions centered on topics like AIDS, Latino Brooklyn, and the communities of Crown Heights. While BHS continued this work, PLAY BALL! represented a new approach to the society's exhibitions and programming by placing a special emphasis on engaging family audiences. This focus on creating family-friendly exhibits soon became a hallmark of several BHS exhibitions, with interactive elements woven throughout to appeal to both children and adults alike.
Interested in seeing more photos from CBH’s collections? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images, or the digital collections portal of Brooklyn Public Library. We welcome appointments to research our entire collection of images, archives, maps and special collections. Our reference staff is available to help with your research! You can reach us at cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org.
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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