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Park Slope was one of the earliest residential neighborhoods to develop in Brooklyn, attracting New Yorkers who could easily commute to thriving Manhattan via ferry service. This course of development can largely be attributed to Edwin Clarke Litchfield (1815-1885). During the 1850’s he purchased large tracts of farmland in the area and sold them off to residential developers. His legacy lives on in Brooklyn through his mansion home, Litchfield Villa, located in Prospect Park. Litchfield’s elegant estate, designed by Alexander Jackson Downing, became city property after his death. Today it is the headquarters of the Brooklyn Parks Department and a beloved Brooklyn landmark.

This stereoview card shows a couple setting out in a small boat at the edge of Arbor Water. One of many glacial ponds to be found across Green-Wood’s original landscape, Arbor Water was located in close proximity to Green-Wood’s Gothic revival main entrance arch. The pond was filled in to make way for Green-Wood’s Historic Chapel, completed in 1911. In this view, the Receiving Tomb is featured prominently across Arbor Water. Today, the Receiving Tomb stands in its original location and can be seen nearby the Chapel.

Imre Kiralfy (1845-1919) was a theatre enthusiast who produced a series of stage spectaculars during the late 19th century. Kiralfy became famous for his extravagant dance-based theatrical productions, featuring large coordinated dance groups, innovative special effects, and elaborate high-quality sets and costumes. In 1891, Kiralfy produced what was perhaps his most unique and remarkable show, Venice in London, a combined spectacular play and exhibition. Staged at the Olympia Theatre in London, Kiralfy replicated the bridges and canals of Venice using machinery, water and electricity.

James Ryder Van Brunt (1820-1916) was an American artist and Brooklyn native. Born on his family farm in old Gowanus, land that is now part of Green-Wood Cemetery, Van Brunt was of Dutch heritage, his ancestors having settled in the area as early as the seventeenth century. Van Brunt took inspiration from the Dutch heritage of the region, specializing in watercolors of local farmhouses and churches. The work pictured above, Peacock in an Architectural Setting, demonstrates Van Brunt’s artistic skill, even when working outside of his usual subject matter.

Francis Wupperman, better known by his stage name, Frank Morgan (1890-1949), will forever be remembered for his role as the title character in the Wizard of Oz. An eccentric and jovial character actor, Morgan was already a well-respected long before his 1939 role as “The Wizard.” His first film was released in 1916, over a decade before the first “talkies” were introduced. Sound films enabled Morgan to really flourish as an actor and he became highly sought after for both comedic and dramatic roles. In the accompanying photo, Morgan demonstrates his juggling ability, a skill he learned for a scene in his 1938 film “The Crowd Roars.”

During the second half of the nineteenth century, Edward Anthony (1819-1888) played an important role in the advancement of photography. He founded what would become the largest supplier of photographic supplies in the United States, E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. The company sold everything from photographic chemicals to studio backdrops. The magazine, “Anthony’s Photographic Bulletin,” was published by the company from 1880 through 1902. The publication included a variety of articles pertaining to the art of photography as well as advertisements for all sorts of photographic supplies.

During the 1940s, male “crooners” dominated the music scene with their emphatically sentimental love songs. Alan Dale (1925-2002) emerged as a solo act in 1948 and was soon dubbed the “Prince of Baritones.” In 1956, Dale starred as a Rock and Roll singer in the film “Don’t Knock the Rock” alongside famed musicians Little Richard and Bill Haley and His Comets.

Elias Howe Jr. (1819-1867) is credited with the invention of the sewing machine, one of the most important innovations of the Nineteenth Century. Though Howe was not the first person to develop a sewing machine, he introduced the first efficient and practical version. In 1846 Howe received the first United States patent for a sewing machine using a lockstitch design. The lockstitch remains the most common mechanical stitch made by sewing machines. This particular model also introduced critical improvements that form the basis for the sewing machine design employed today, including a needle with the eye at the point and an automatic feed. The transition from hand stitching to mechanical stitching made possible by the sewing machine revolutionized the garment industry.