CAN WE IDENTIFY THESE PEOPLE? (1911)
When Brownstone Detectives was recently questioned as to the possibility of identifying the people in this touring car from a 1911 short film – we took up that challenge. Historical research has taken a decidedly good turn in recent years with the advent of Google Books, Ancestry.com, and a variety of other now available research tools, archives, and resources. What was nearly impossible just 10 years ago has become not only possible, but probable. With the current box of tools available to us we can tell you everything there is to know about a variety of historical issues – we can investigate the history of your New York City property, track down historic photographs of your house and, often, its former residents/owners, determine how much people were paying in rent as your house’s boarders, and even discover the ages, occupations, and birth locations of almost everyone who ever lived in your house. Taken a step further, these tools have also allowed us the capacity to take a photograph and, with the right clues, determine where it was taken, who was in it, and where they lived. THE BEAUTY OF A RESTORED 1911 NEW YORK CITY FILM Take, for instance, a lately discovered 1911 reel of New York City that has been floating through the ether-sphere over the past several years. Shot by a team of cameramen with the Swedish company Svenska Biografteatern, who, according to the Museum of Modern Art, which restored the film, were sent around the world to […]
BARBERS ARRESTED FOR SHAVING? (1896)
******************************************************************************************************************************** Brownstone Detectives investigates the history of our clients’ homes. The story you are about to read was composed from research conducted in the course of one of those investigations. Do you know the history of YOUR house? ******************************************************************************************************************************** Imagine the “perp walk” from 489 Nostrand in early 1896, when two barbers – who were operating out of that address – were arrested for giving shaves. George Jackson and Thomas Lorrain, barbers employed by William Reiss, whose shop was at the above location, were hauled from their cells and into the Gates avenue police court the next day and fined $5 each. The barber law, known formally as the “Sunday Shaving Law,” was passed in 1895 and was probably a part of the blue laws that prohibited certain activities on Sunday (such as drinking) which were coming into vogue in the period. A few years later, though, another “Barber Law” was enacted which regulated the industry for reasons of enforcing cleanliness and hygiene; additionally it caused all barbers to be licensed and to receive training, prompting many a Brooklyn gentleman to be heard wondering aloud: “Can’t a man just get a shave around here?” Follow @BrownstoneDetec Share ———————————————————————————————————————– The Brownstone Detectives Brownstone Detectives is an historic property research agency. Our mission is to document and save the histories of our clients’ homes. From our research, we produce our celebrated House History Books and House History Reports. Contact us today to begin discovering the history of your home.
