1. In celebration of summer, today’s Mustache Monday takes you to the beach, for “the international swimming match at Long Branch between Messrs. J. B. Johnson and Andrew Trautz.” Johnson was the champion swimmer for England, Trautz for the United States. They swam against each other in August 1874 for “the championship of the world,” according to the NY Times. Ten thousand spectators came out for the big event. Tiffany & Co. designed the winner’s cup. Johnson won the three-mile race in 1hr, 10m, 30s after breaking away with a sudden shot of speed, “as if he had been propelled from a cannon,” right before the finish line; the New York Herald has the play by play.

    In celebration of summer, today’s Mustache Monday takes you to the beach, for “the international swimming match at Long Branch between Messrs. J. B. Johnson and Andrew Trautz.”

    Johnson was the champion swimmer for England, Trautz for the United States. They swam against each other in August 1874 for “the championship of the world,” according to the NY Times. Ten thousand spectators came out for the big event. Tiffany & Co. designed the winner’s cup.

    Johnson won the three-mile race in 1hr, 10m, 30s after breaking away with a sudden shot of speed, “as if he had been propelled from a cannon,” right before the finish line; the New York Herald has the play by play.

  2. Happy First Day of Summer - also known as the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. Here we have Summer Girl #3, a bathing beauty bedecked in the latest bathing suit style of 1910, with a bonnet to protect against the water and wind no less! We hope your Summer is grand and that you have some time to enjoy the beach, but we recommend not wearing heels while walking on sand.

    Happy First Day of Summer - also known as the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. Here we have Summer Girl #3, a bathing beauty bedecked in the latest bathing suit style of 1910, with a bonnet to protect against the water and wind no less! We hope your Summer is grand and that you have some time to enjoy the beach, but we recommend not wearing heels while walking on sand.

  3. Is it just us, or did the summer fly by at lightning speed? Anyway, in honor of the changing months, here is a beautiful September calendar page from our Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs. Although it is only dated “1887 to 1922,” some quick research reveals that - for the dates to match up properly - this page was from 1891, 1896, 1903, 1908 or 1914. So there you go. Now there’s only one question left - who could possibly play tennis in what this woman is wearing?? Anyway, happy September!  

    Is it just us, or did the summer fly by at lightning speed? Anyway, in honor of the changing months, here is a beautiful September calendar page from our Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs. Although it is only dated “1887 to 1922,” some quick research reveals that - for the dates to match up properly - this page was from 1891, 1896, 1903, 1908 or 1914. So there you go. Now there’s only one question left - who could possibly play tennis in what this woman is wearing?? Anyway, happy September!  

  4. Summer Readers Good Luck For The Grandy Man?

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    Soooo, as we previously mentioned, the Yankees honored six of our top summer readers at the Stadium yesterday before their game against the Oakland A’s. The Yankees went on to set the record for grand slams in one game, smacking three during a 22-9 pounding of the Athletics. Who hit the record-setting third slam? Curtis Granderson, the player who met with the summer readers beforehand (in the photo above by Sean Scanlin, Curtis is shaking hands with 16-year-old Khadija Bhuyian of The Bronx, our top summer reader who was profiled by the NY Times). He also met with our top summer readers during last year’s ceremony at Yankee Stadium - and he hit two home runs that day! Could we be a good luck charm for Curtis Granderson? Well, he HAS hit quite a few homers this year without any of our help, but we’d like to think so anyway! If he wants to invite us to every game, we’d be happy to oblige! 

  5. Patience And Fortitude Visit The Beach … Sort Of

    Break out the surf guitar - Patience and Fortitude were at Coney Island last weekend! OK, they weren’t. They were standing guard outside our Stephen A. Schwarzman Building as usual. But their likenesses were used to create these sand sculptures at last weekend’s annual Sand Sculpting Contest and Unity Day Celebration at Coney Island, sponsored by the non-profit Astella Development Corporation. And guess what? The two artists - Anthony Avellino and William Petronsino - won first prize in the adult category! Thanks to NY Times reporter Corey Kilgannon for the photo!

  6. I love New York on summer afternoons when everyone’s away. There’s something very sensuous about it - overripe, as if all sorts of funny fruits were going to fall into your hands.

    — 

    F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

    It’s about the right time of year to read (or re-read) Gatsby. Why not go check it out? We have at least 153 copies throughout the boroughs…

  7. It’s a good thing that this fella’ is an Iceman by trade… because he is HOT. Ladies, meet 18 year old Leonard Centrone, the Handsomest Iceman in all New York, c/o the 1939 World’s Fair. We haven’t reminded you to download our iPad app Biblion lately. So we’ll say that now… just to make sure we have a legit reason for posting this handsome dude.

    It’s a good thing that this fella’ is an Iceman by trade… because he is HOT.

    Ladies, meet 18 year old Leonard Centrone, the Handsomest Iceman in all New York, c/o the 1939 World’s Fair.

    We haven’t reminded you to download our iPad app Biblion lately. So we’ll say that now… just to make sure we have a legit reason for posting this handsome dude.

  8. If you can’t make it to the beach this weekend, you should join us tonight for a visit to Coney Island. Re-live your favorite moments on The Cyclone, eating a Nathan’s hot dog or just taking a dip in the ocean.

    Photographer Harvey Stein - creator of the book Coney Island 40 Years - will be joined by Bill Hunt, the consummate photo collector, curator and gallery dealer and insider Lola Star, who has been a keen observer of and vocal advocate for preserving Coney Island.

    Copies of Coney Island 40 Years are available for purchase and signing at the event.

  9. NYPL Offers A 'Golden Ticket' To Teachers →