The Brooklyn Historical Society presents their new 5-part weekly series, Bite-Size History, starting Friday, May 22, with BHS historian Nalleli Guillen providing in-depth looks at intriguing objects in the museum’s collection.
Nalleli looks at a different object every week, and every week brings a new guest. This Friday she and Project Archivist/Reference Associate Mary Mann explore the history behind the statue of an American Indian that stood outside a Brooklyn Heights cigar shop for many decades. This series springs from BHS’s Revealing Long Island History Project. Capacity for this Zoom Webinar is 500 attendees. Registrants are allowed in on a first come, first served basis. Should you be shut out of the Zoom Webinar, you can join in the companion livestream on Facebook.
Join BHS for all of the episodes in this series
Episode 1
Nalleli Guillen and Project Archivist/Reference Associate Mary Mann explore the history behind the statue of an American Indian that stood outside a Brooklyn Heights cigar shop for many decades.
Episode 2
Nalleli Guillen and BHS Trustee and art historian Linda Ferber explore the history behind a portrait of Brooklyn-based poet and personality Bloodgood H. Cutter.
Episode 3
Nalleli Guillen and Preservation Long Island Curator Lauren Brincat revisit a time when Brooklyn Historical Society was the Long Island Historical Society, and the stories we can tell from the eastern end of Long Island, including William Wells Box.
Episode 4
Nalleli Guillen and current Curator of History, Social Science, and Government Information at The New York Public Library and former Vice President for Curatorial Affairs and Collections at BHS, Julie Golia, explore the history of a patriotic example of history in what is known as the “Ovington Flag.”
Episode 5
Nalleli Guillen and New York Public Library’s Julie Golia explore this history of Brooklyn’s Muslim communities through the fabled deed of Anthony Jansen van Salee, thought to be the first person of Muslim heritage to settle in Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Historical Society was founded in 1863 as the Long Island Historical Society (LIHS) during a time of tumultuous change. In only a few decades, Brooklyn had grown from a tiny agricultural backwater to the third largest city in the country. Civic pride was at an all-time high. Many of Brooklyn’s citizens believed they needed to commemorate their city’s rural past before it quickly faded from memory.
Over the years, BHS has updated its building to meet twenty-first-century needs, while remaining true to architect George Browne Post’s innovative vision. In October 1999, BHS undertook a full-scale restoration of its landmark building to create new exhibition space and climate-controlled storage for its valuable collections. In 2014, BHS completed a renovation of the first and lower levels to create an even more welcoming public space.
BHS has added webinars to its repertoire during these challenging times. Take a few minutes on Friday to learn more about their amazing collection.
