Story Map
Explore this interactive StoryMap of Disappearing Brooklyn, detailing the locations of Gertrude’s paintings of historic houses and locations of southern Brooklyn.
Click here to explore the storymap.
Digital Booklet
This version of Disappearing Brooklyn contains a more in-depth look of the historic houses and locations painted by Gertrude.
This program is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with City Council Member Mercedes Narcisse and Assemblywoman Jamie R. Williams.
Disappearing Brooklyn
Watercolors by Gertrude Ryder Bennett
Gertrude Ryder Bennett was born at the dawn of the 20th century in a Brooklyn quite different from the one we know today. At the time, Brooklyn was still a place with farmhouses and a close-knit community. As Gertrude grew up, Brooklyn rapidly transformed through urban development. Her mother, Nellie Mae, reminded her to cherish the disappearing sounds and sights of her childhood.
These watercolors, painted by Gertrude in the early 1970s, were based on historical photographs, written descriptions, and her childhood memories. Disappearing Brooklyn explores the serene and beautiful Brooklyn during the first half of the 20th century.