NYC Municipal Archives
Juneteenth
NYC Municipal Archives
The Knicks!
Michael Lorenzini
The “Real” Father Knickerbocker
NYC Municipal Archives
19th Century Stationery
Kenneth Cobb
Happy Birthday, Brooklyn Bridge!

Juneteenth

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. The date marks June 19, 1865, when the last enslaved people in Texas were freed by the Union Army under the Emancipation Proclamation. However, it was not until the following December, when the 13th Amendment was ratified, that all enslaved people in the United States were freed. 

Town of Flatlands Slaves: Birth Register, Manumissions; Records of Personal Mortgages, 1799-1838, volume 4054, page 16. Kings County Old Town Records Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

For 200 years, from 1627 (when the Dutch West India Company warship Bruynvisch arrived in Manhattan carrying 22 enslaved Africans), until 1827, slavery was very much a fact of life in New York. By the 1790s, New York City’s population of enslaved people was second only to Charleston, South Carolina. New York had the largest number of enslaved people of any state in the North and was the second-to-last to abolish slavery (New Jersey was the last state). Even after 1827, when slavery ended in New York, free Blacks were not safe on its streets. Runaways from the south and even born-free New Yorkers could be kidnapped by marshals and sent to a slave state using the Fugitive Slave Clause as cover.  

Not only do Municipal Archives records document this dark history, the Hall of Records (now the Surrogate’s Courthouse and DORIS headquarters) was built on the edge of what was the African Burial Ground. After rediscovery of the Burial Ground in 1891 during construction of a new federal office building, New York City’s Percent for Art program commissioned artist Lorenzo Pace’s monument “Triumph of the Human Spirit” in Foley Square. The Mayor’s Office of Communications recently interviewed Pace about the project in this short film that includes references to the Municipal Archives’ records. 

Lorenzo Pace: Triumph of the Human Spirit. NYC Mayor’s Office.

The Knicks!

New Yorkers have been on a roller coaster ride with the New York Knicks in their bid for the NBA championship. This prompted research in Municipal Library and Archives collections for Knicks-related information, memorabilia, and photographs.   

Last week, For the Record informed readers that “Father Knickerbocker” dribbling a basketball was the team logo from 1946 to 1964, and told the story of who was the real Father Knickerbocker. 

Research in the collections also yielded ten historical images that featured the team stars of an earlier era. This week, For the Record posts the press release DORIS issued on Wednesday promoting the archival photographs and the opportunity to purchase copies from the Municipal Archives, or postcard versions of the pictures that are available in the CityStore.  

For Immediate Release: June 10, 2026  

Archival New York Knicks Photos Now Available 

Madison Square Garden, 1961. Mayor Robert Wagner Photograph Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.

New York, NY – Walt Frazier, Patrick Ewing, Dave DeBusschere. While these basketball legends may no longer spend their time on the courts, their names live on in both sports and New York City history as celebrated players for the New York Knicks.  

As the New York Knicks prepare to take on the San Antonio Spurs for Game 4 of the NBA championship tonight at Madison Square Garden, the NYC Department of Records & Information Services (DORIS) is taking a look back at previous Knicks victories through a collection of archival photos. The pictures feature celebrated players, mayors, and communities throughout New York City—the story of both a team and the city they represent.   

“These photos capture something every New Yorker knows: sports bring us together in ways few things can. No matter what borough you’re from or which baseball team you root for—Go Mets—we’re united when we’re cheering for the Knicks,” said Mayor Mamdani. “For generations, this team has created moments that have connected neighbors and strangers, reminding us that our city is strongest when we come together. Thanks to DORIS, New Yorkers can revisit that history and celebrate the stories that belong to all of us.”

“This project will allow New Yorkers to celebrate the legacy of the Knicks who have shaped our city for decades,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson. Through the creative and dedicated work from DORIS, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to look back at the teams that paved the way and call a small piece of this city’s history their own.”  

“Sifting through images directly from the Municipal Archives allows New Yorkers and other connoisseurs of New York City history an opportunity to explore from the comfort of their homes a repository of timeless moments where sports has shaped government,” said Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz, Commissioner of the Department of Records and Information Services. “We’re excited to offer the opportunity to purchase a glossy print, to sit on your wall or to gift a loved one.”   

 “Knicks history is New York City history and this limited-edition collaboration is a small token of our admiration for the home team,” said Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Yume Kitasei. “These postcards, created in-house by our talented designers and available only at CityStore, are historic one-of-a-kind pieces—a must-have for any true fan.”

New York Knicks Point Guard Greg Anthony at the podium with Mayor David N. Dinkins, announcing the Safe City Safe Streets Lottery Game, February 1992. David Dinkins Photograph Collection. NYC Municipal Archives

The full collection of archival New York Knicks photographs is available to view online and will be available as postcards starting Thursday in the NYC CityStore, located at 1 Centre St, New York, NY 10007. To order digital or print  copies to ship worldwide, please visit DORIS’ online order page and add the image record number or title.

The “Real” Father Knickerbocker

If you are a Knicks fan you might know that the original and still official corporate name of the basketball team is the New York Knickerbockers. You might even know that “Father Knickerbocker” dribbling a basketball was the team logo from 1946 to 1964. But who was the real Father Knickerbocker?

Original 1946 logo for the New York Knickerbockers, by sports cartoonist Willard Mullin.

Herman Knickerbocker was from an old Dutch New York family. As a young lawyer, he befriended the struggling writer Washington Irving. In 1809, Irving pulled off the 19th Century equivalent of a viral media stunt. Borrowing the name of his friend, he placed several missing persons advertisements in New York newspapers saying he was looking for Diedrick Knickerbocker, whom he described as a Dutch historian missing from a Manhattan hotel. Posing as the hotel proprietor he said Knickerbocker had left behind a manuscript, which he would publish if the man did not come forward. The story of the missing historian created a buzz. On December 6, 1809, Irving published A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty by Diedrich Knickerbocker. The book was a satirical look at the history and politics of New York and America, and it was an instant success.

The fictional “Diedrich Knickerbocker” from the frontispiece of Washington Irving’s A History of New-York, drawn by Felix O.C. Darley in 1809.

The name Knickerbocker, and the character of an old Dutchman from the frontispiece, caught the 19th Century public’s imagination. Soon after “Knickerbocker” became shorthand for a resident of Manhattan and was adopted as the name of an Albany newspaper, a New York literary magazine, a publishing house, a hotel built by the Astors, the baggy short trousers popular with young men, golfers and liberated women, a baseball franchise, a posh club, a beer brand and any number of other businesses. Washington Irving later marveled:

“When I find after a lapse of nearly forty years the haphazard production of my youth still cherished among them [New Yorkers]—when I find its very name become a ‘household word’ and used to give the home stamp to everything recommended for popular acceptance, such as Knickerbocker societies, Knickerbocker insurance companies, Knickerbocker steamboats, Knickerbocker omnibuses, Knickerbocker bread and Knickerbocker ice—and when I find New Yorkers of Dutch descent priding themselves upon being ‘genuine Knickerbockers’—I please myself with the persuasion that I have struck the right chord.’[1]

“Father Knickerbocker’s Fight for a Sensible Sunday Law.” Puck Magazine, November 27, 1901. Courtesy Library of Congress.

In 1877, Puck magazine first published a cartoon featuring the character “Father Knickerbocker” as a symbol of New York City in the way that Uncle Sam is used to represent the United States. By the 1900s, Father Knickerbocker was a familiar character used in editorial cartoons, sheet music, and in NYC government publications. The Department of Health published a weekly series of articles “Dr. Knickerbocker Says” to inform New Yorkers in the 1930s and 40s.

“Father Knickerbocker March.” Jerome H. Remick & Co., 1911. The Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection, Johns Hopkins Library.

“Father Knickerbocker, A New York Rag.” Jos. W. Stern & Co., 1907. https://lets-rag.com/father-knickerbocker

“Dr. Knickerbocker Says,” NYC Department of Health, 1942. NYC Municipal Library.

“Dr. Knickerbocker Says,” NYC Department of Health, 1941. NYC Municipal Library.

So, in 1946, when Ned Irish was looking for a name for his new basketball franchise, the “Knickerbockers” won the vote. The Father Knickerbocker logo was drafted by sports cartoonist Willard Mullin.

“Father Knickerbocker on Rockefeller Center terrace overlooking midtown,” March 25, 1952. Official Mayoral Photographs, NYC Municipal Archives.

But soon a walking talking Father Knickerbocker appeared. His name was James J. O’Brien, a professor of modern languages at Fordham University. O’Brien started working for Mayor O’Dwyer in 1947 as an assistant and then became secretary to the Department of Public Works. In 1949, he adopted the colonial garb of Father Knickerbocker and embarked on a 17-day global trip to promote “World Trade Week,” and New York City as a trading capital. His return was captured in an interview by the newly formed WNYC Film Unit.

Through the early 1950s he continued to make public appearances as Father Knickerbocker, including on February 1, 1953, when New York marked the 300th anniversary of the incorporation of New Amsterdam. O’Brien went on to become the Deputy Chairman of the Mayor’s Reception Committee (1954-1955), Manager - Business Government Liaison of the Department of Commerce and Public Events (1955-1961), and then Deputy Commissioner of Commerce and Public Events (1962-1968). He gave tours of City Hall, handed out “keys to the city” and greeted distinguished guests under four mayors, William O’Dwyer, Vincent R. Impellitteri, Robert F. Wagner and John V. Lindsay.

REC0047_1_0016: “Father Knickerbocker’s Return,” April 16, 1949. WNYC-TV collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

According to a 1952 New York Times article, the City never purchased an outfit for O’Brien, they rented one from a costumer. “Dr. O’Brien still rents, either from Brooks, or from Eaves, at $15 a rental. He gets his gray periwig from Birnstein & Migliore, and he owns two pairs of square-rimmed spectacles done to his prescription by Schoenig & Co.”[2] The article also mentioned that there was another Father Knickerbocker “who poses for beer ads—actor chap named O’Neill...” O’Brien was dismissive of this rival, “He’s a commercial Knickerbocker.... We don’t recognize him down here at City Hall.”

“Father Knickerbocker (James J. O’Brien) on ABC Zeke Manners Show,” June 1950. Official Mayoral Photographs, NYC Municipal Archives.

O’Brien (aged 65) died in Ireland in 1968, while on vacation. His correspondence from 1946 to 1961 is preserved in the Municipal Archives and consists of thousands of letters to and from civic and trade groups, congress members, presidents, and prime ministers. A few bulging folders are correspondence with soldiers from New York stationed in Korea whom, upon request, he would send a New York State Flag to. He is usually addressed in the letters by his official title, but some of the letter writers added “Father Knickerbocker.”

Letter to “Father Knickerbocker” from Robert A. Geier, Secretary to Congressman James B. Utt, 1953. James J. O’Brien correspondence from 1946 to 1961, NYC Municipal Archives.

Letter from a New York serviceman requesting a New York State flag for his post in Korea, 1952. James J. O’Brien correspondence from 1946 to 1961, NYC Municipal Archives.

Father Knickerbocker in City Hall, March 25, 1952. Official Mayoral Photographs, NYC Municipal Archives.

[1] Landmarks Preservation Commission, Designation List 127, Knickerbocker Club Building, 1979.

[2] About New York; Father Knickerbocker Puffing in Rented Rig https://www.nytimes.com/1953/05/29/archives/about-new-york-father-knickerbocker-puffing-in-rented-rig-city.html

19th Century Stationery

During the Covid pandemic in 2020 the Department of Records & Information Services assigned several Municipal Archives staff to assignments that could be completed remotely. The projects included transcribing collection inventories, lists, finding guides and other descriptive materials into searchable databases and spreadsheets.

Pen-maker John Foley to Mayor Abram Hewitt, 1887. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

Recently, archivist Cynthia Brenwall resumed transcribing descriptions of documents in the Early Mayors’ collection. This series comprises correspondence and documents from New York City mayoral administrations from 1826 through 1897 and totals 157.5 cubic feet. The collection had been assembled by Rebecca Rankin during her 32-year tenure as the Director of the Municipal Library between 1920 and 1952. This was a core collection in the Municipal Archives when it opened in 1952, and remains one of the most important series documenting nineteenth-century government and policies.

One feature of the correspondence noted by Ms. Brenwall during her work in 2020 and again more recently, is the elaborate commercially produced stationery and letterheads used by businesses and governments. This week For the Record takes a closer look at these wonderful works of art that defined an era of letter writing.

Real-Estate Union letterhead form 1893. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

An example of the original documents that were transcribed by NYC Municipal Archives staff in 2020. Entry 146 is the reference to the Real-Estate Union letterhead shown above.

Pastor Nathan Hubbell to Mayor Gilroy, 1893. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

Johnson & Johnson Company, 1893. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

Twine, rope, cord and hammock makers the Travers Brother Company highlighted the products that they produced in this elaborate letterhead. 1892. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

Sherriff John J. Gorman to Mayor Grant in 1893. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

Leo Schlesinger & Company was located on Crosby Street and manufactured tin toys, among other items. 1893. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

The 1893 letterhead for the Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company the graphic logo of the original glass company. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle logo is boldly centered on this stationary dating from 1887. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

Technically, the term letterhead did not appear until 1890. Before then, it was simply called “letter paper.” The rich illustrations depicted on the stationery corresponds with industrialization in America. By the 1860s, the images became more detailed and creative. It was a period when Americans could see their growing nation reflected in the artwork on their bills and correspondence.

The primary role of these illustrations was publicity. The images show busy factories, bustling street corners, and bold bank buildings. Government agency and department correspondence visually conveys the nature of their responsibilities.  

While the content of the letters in the Early Mayors’ collection might be standard government business, the stationery offers a delight for the eye and creates a window into the business and government culture of a time gone by. For more examples, readers are also invited to review two For the Record articles published in 2020:  The Transcription Project, Early Mayors’ Collection and Early Mayors Collection Part 2

The Grand Union Hotel was located across the street from the Grand Central Depot. 1888. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

William McCoy to Mayor Thomas Gilroy shows off the work of both the engraver and designer of this letterhead. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

This detailed letterhead features an image of a beehive to promote the business of a grocery and tea dealing company. Letter from the office of Callahan and Kemp sent to Mayor Hugh Grant, 1889. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

Eureka Fire Hose Company logo on a letter dated 1893. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

Cooper Union letterhead from 1888. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

H. Clausen & Son Brewing Company, located at 309 East 47th Street, to Mayor Gilroy, 1893. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

Eva Mudge, Comedienne to Mayor Gilroy, 1893. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

Letter from Albany Mayor James H. Manning to Mayor Hugh Grant, 1893. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

Huber’s Palace Museum letterhead from 1892. Early Mayors records, NYC Municipal Archives.

Happy Birthday, Brooklyn Bridge!

Every day, thousands of New Yorkers and visitors enjoy walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. It is considered one of the most iconic experiences in the city. And it’s free of charge. Prior to 1891, however, that journey would have cost the pedestrian one cent. A rider on horseback would have paid three cents, and cattle cost two cents, each.

Pamphlet, 1954, Mayor Robert F. Wagner Departmental Correspondence, Public Works, 1954. NYC Municipal Archives.

This fee schedule appears in the “Souvenir Presentation at the Official Opening of the Modernized Bridge, May 3, 1954.” The lavishly illustrated booklet is located in the subject files of Department of Records and Information Services Commissioner Eugene J. Bockman (1977-1989). It is one of several items including correspondence, brochures, invitations, memos and other materials related to Bockman’s participation in the Brooklyn Bridge Centennial Commission. Formed in 1980, the Commission organized dozens of events and activities culminating in the day-long celebration of the Bridge Centennial on May 24, 1983.      

Mayor Robert F. Wagner speaks at the Brooklyn Bridge reopening ceremony, May 3, 1954. Mayor Robert F. Wagner Photograph Collection. NYC Municipal Archives. 

The Bridge, along with Central Park, two of the most important public works achievements of the 19th  century, are well documented in Municipal Library and Archives collections. The Archives recently completed a three-year project funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services to preserve and digitize more than 9,000 plans of the Brooklyn Bridge. For the Record tracked project progress in several posts, most recently, Archives Conservation Teams Up With The Metropolitan Museum of Art highlighting an exhibition of several iconic bridge plans at the Museum.

Frederick H. Zurmuhlen, Commissioner, Department of Public Works, produced the multi-part booklet located in Bockman’s files. It commemorated completion of reconstruction and modernization of the bridge in 1954. It begins with several self-congratulatory essays, “Magnificent Achievement,” by Brooklyn Borough President John Cashmore, “Part of a Plan,” by City Construction Coordinator Robert Moses, and “An Engineering Marvel,” by Commissioner Zurmuhlen.   

The Approach to the bridge from Manhattan as it appeared in 1883. Booklet, Modernized Brooklyn Bridge, May 3, 1954. DORIS Commissioner Eugene J. Bockman Collection, Brooklyn Bridge Centennial, 1983. NYC Municipal Archives. 

The booklet continues with illustrated text describing the new truss system, roadways, and lighting. Most helpful is a graphic chart, “Evolution in Use,” that summarizes how modes of transportation across the bridge had evolved from 1883 to 1954.

Evolution in Use, Top of page, the bridge as of 1933, with elevated trains, trolleys and cars. Middle diagram, conditions as of 1945 with cessation of elevated trains and transfer of trolleys to elevated tracks. Bottom, modernized bridge with three lanes for passenger cars in each direction. Booklet, Modernized Brooklyn Bridge, May 3, 1954. DORIS Commissioner Eugene J. Bockman Collection, Brooklyn Bridge Centennial, 1983. NYC Municipal Archives

When it opened in 1883, the bridge had a walkway for pedestrians and a roadway for carts or coaches. Passengers could ride across in a cable car. Trolley service commenced in 1899. By the 1940s, with the increased volume of automobile traffic, “… it became clear that the Brooklyn Bridge would have to be modernized to derive from it its full potential in carrying capacity.” Since trolley and rapid transit service ceased in 1945, by 1950, construction work began to widen the roadways to three lanes in each direction and connect to the then-new arterial highways in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Completed in 1954, the result is essentially what the bridge looks like today.   

In 2021, the City Department of Transportation separated bicycle and pedestrian traffic on the bridge by installing dedicated, two-way bike lanes on the Manhattan-bound roadway. Most recently, on March 27, 2026, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced a redesigned bike and pedestrian connection to the bridge along Centre Street at its Manhattan entrance, creating fully separate bike and pedestrian access for the first time.

On Sunday, May 24, the Brooklyn Bridge will celebrate its 143rd Birthday. What better way to mark the occasion than a walk across the “Symbol of Greatness,” as Mayor Wagner called the iconic structure in 1954. Enjoy the holiday! 

Aerial View Of Brooklyn Bridge, Looking North Toward Manhattan, 1962, color transparency. Department of Marine and Aviation, Department of Ports and Terminals/Ports and Trade Photograph Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.  

How Many Mayors really?

A recent For the Record blog received a good deal of attention and triggered a recalculation of the number of New York City mayors.  Was it 111 or 112?  Eventually, including all of the New York mayors from colonial times to the present, the conclusion was that the current mayor, Zohran Kwame Mamdani, is mayor number 112.

New York’s first government, authorized by the Dutch West India company and established in 1653, consisted of a sheriff, two burgomasters (who had duties similar to mayors) and five legislators as described in this blog post.

Robert Van Wyck, First Mayor of Greater New York.

From that auspicious beginning, subsequent English charters issued in 1655, 1686, 1708 and 1730 “all provided for an appointed mayor,” according to a 1929 article written by Rebecca Rankin, the City’s principal librarian. By 1775, the mayor was appointed by the Royal Governor, who in turn, was appointed by the King of England. Mayoral duties included Water Bailiff, Clerk of the Markets, and Justice of the Peace, as reported in the 1976 Green Book.

The majority—92 of the 112 mayors—presided over a smallish island, sometimes called Manhattan or New York. In the late 1800s, New York County annexed a large portion of what is now Bronx County including the towns of Morrisania and Kingsbridge. It became the last county in the State in 1914. The mayoral count does not include mayors of the City of Brooklyn or Long Island City… just those from Manhattan. Between 1834 and 1898 the City of Brooklyn had 27 mayors. Seth Low, Mayor of the City of Brooklyn from 1882-1885, went on to become the second elected mayor of the Greater City of New York. Williamsburg received city status in 1851 only to be annexed by the City of Brooklyn in 1854, along with Bushwick. The New York mayors held no sway over Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and the many towns and cities located in those counties.

The title page for the 27th Annual Report of the Department of Parks of the City of Brooklyn, shows the changes in governance that occurred between 1897 and 1898. NYC Municipal Library.

On January 1, 1898, the City of New York was transformed, becoming the largest city in the country—second largest in the world, behind London. Government and civic leaders had discussed and debated combining the cities of New York and Brooklyn for approximately 20 years prior to consolidation. Andrew Haskell Green, a storied civic leader whose ventures included creating the New York Public Library and Central Park, is largely credited with the notion of combining the four counties, the annexed Bronx territory and the many small municipalities into one entity.

Green conceived of one great metropolis—a city that had uniform regulations instead of the inconsistent and conflicting rules that made the multiple governments inefficient. Opponents to the scheme expressed concern about taxes—would Brooklyn be saddled with New York’s debt? They also questioned political control: the dread Tammany machine ran politics and government in New York while the Republicans controlled Brooklyn. Brooklyn was the third largest city in the country and its leaders were loath to cede power.

An earlier blog post dealt with the origin of the Greater City of New York, describing efforts that led to the consolidation of unannexed territory and local governments.

Another post showed the evolution of the mayoralty from 1810 when the Council elected the mayor from among its members to direct elections in 1834 (although only a small portion of residents could vote) and the increasing power of the office.

The budget for the fiscal year of 1899 was the first for the consolidated greater New York. NYC Municipal Library.

The creation of the Greater City of New York combined existing municipalities and counties into one government consisting of five boroughs: Brooklyn, the Bronx, New York, Queens and Richmond. A new government was established with a mayor, a board of estimate that included representatives from all of the boroughs as well as the Comptroller. This effectively ended the run of mayors from the preceding governments, including that of New York.

If the question instead is: How many Mayors have represented the Greater City of New York, the city that includes 50 Bronx neighborhoods, 76 in Queens, 77 in Brooklyn, 63 Staten Island neighborhoods and the 57 in Manhattan, the answer is very different. There have been 23 mayors representing the millions of City residents since 1898, including Acting Mayors Ardolph L. Kline, Joseph V. McKee and Vincent R. Impelleteri, who was subsequently elected Mayor.

Some might suggest that this is an outer-borough gripe. But, really it is a claim for full representation of the wonderful diversity that comprises the Greater City of New York.