About the Museum Collections

Fine Art Collection
The Fine Art Collection contains approximately 400 paintings and several thousand prints, drawings and other works on paper ranging from the 17th through 20th centuries. Many of the oil paintings are hung on walls throughout the building in thematic groupings such as “Portraits of Prominent New Yorkers” on our third floor and “Historical Views of and from Brooklyn” in our first floor tile lobby. Notable works in the collection include paintings by Francis Guy, John Wesley Jarvis, John Mackie Falconer, the Bard Brothers, and 17th century drawings by Dutch traveler Jaspar Danckaerts, etchings by Joseph Pennell, and architectural studies by Francis Hopkinson Smith.

Access
The Fine Art Collection is open to everyone, but does require an appointment for use. To request an appointment or ask a question, please fill out our online form.  

The BHS Fine Arts Initiative has been made possible by a very generous grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.

Artifact Collection
The Brooklyn Historical Society holds hundreds of artifacts relating the history of Brooklyn. Unfortunately, this collection is not available at this time.

BACK TO TOP