The Brooklyn of the Future

A hopeful image of Brooklyn issued near the turn of the century.

This sweeping and heavily stylized view of Brooklyn was published in April 1903 as a supplement to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The wounds of the formerly independent city’s incorporation into New York City were still fresh (1898), and the popular daily newspaper sought to distinguish the borough from all others.

The persuasive image, oriented with southeast at the top, presents the ‘Brooklyn of the Future’ with almost limitless potential. The transportation network was a critical component of the implied growth and prosperity and a robust web of railroads, elevated lines, and streetcars is shown. Connections with Manhattan are key. In addition to numerous ferries, a whopping TWELVE tunnels and bridges (with varying degrees of reality) span the East River. These are listed in the Transformation of the Borough (upper right), which also provides detailed breakdowns of recent internal improvements and ‘How Brooklyn will be made a Great Industrial Centre.’

Recreation and leisure are also used as incentives to entice private investment, local immigration, and public funding. Numerous accessible parks are shown throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan, plus tree-lined parkways, beach resorts, and world-famous Coney Island. Naturally, the headquarters and local branches of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle are illustrated and labeled.

The view is a scarce survivor. As of April 2025, it is listed only twice in WorldCat, at the Brooklyn Public Library and the New York Public Library. OCLC# 875456198.