This fall, we’re taking a look at how artists in the Brooklyn Museum collection have promoted civic engagement through their work.
Can you identify each New York City borough in these historic images? Taken in the late 1800s, these photographs show the city at a time when the population was under 3 million—today, Brooklyn alone counts over 2.5 million. More than one third of New Yorkers were foreign-born in 1900, a statistic that is almost the same today (although in Queens it's closer to 50%). No matter where you were born, or which borough you now call home, everyone currently living in New York should complete the 2020 census. The new deadline for responses is October 5th. Currently, the borough with the highest self-response rate is: Staten Island! It's not too late to catch up, let's make Brooklyn count!
Posted by Forrest Pelsue George Bradford Brainerd (American, 1845-1887). Repaving Clinton Street, Brooklyn, ca. 1872-1887. (1996.164.2-1788) ⇨ Chestnut Stand, Street of New York, ca. 1872-1887. (1996.164.2-1633) ⇨ View from the Influx, Ridgewood, Brooklyn, ca. 1872-1887. (1996.164.2-1356) ⇨ Stapleton, Staten Island, ca. 1900. (1996.164.2-825) ⇨ Stone Mill on Bronx, ca. 1872-1887. Collodion silver glass wet plate negative (1996.164.2-256); All photos: Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum/Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection
