Miniature Portrait of Virginia Black
ca.1670s
This portrait was acquired from the Virginia Black Estate which used to be located in Queens.
By the early 1900s the Black family married into the Bergen family. The Bergens were a prominent family whose ancestors date back to Hans Hansen Bergen. Bergen was one of the earliest in the 1600s settlers in NY (at the time known as New Amsterdam). As his namesake dictates, he was from Bergen, Norway.
The Bergen family made their riches off of growing cash crops in plantations. Eventually as the family grew, they spread out from Manhattan to Queens and Brooklyn. Now there are several locations named after the family such as Bergen Street, Brooklyn. We also have a larger collection from the Bergen family at QHS.
Families such as the Blacks and Bergens populated the borough with many charming homesteads and manors that over time either were salvaged and landmarked or torn down. Today about ten historic house structures remain.
Gift of the Virginia Black Estate.
Accession Number: A1999.90.30
Emily Wolcott as a Young Girl
ca. 1890
Ambrotype
Emily was the sister of Clara Driscoll. Clara was a prominent designer who worked in Tiffany Studios in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Clara was head of the Women’s Glass Cutting Department in Manhattan and a primary designer at Tiffany Studios, working closely with Tiffany himself. The Men’s Glass Cutting Department was located right here in Corona, Queens.
Emily donated an extensive collection of photographs, letters and ephemera to the QHS. Hundreds of these letters are correspondence between Emily and Clara. Their fervor in writing to each other has been invaluable to historians of Clara Driscoll. The letters provide great insight into Clara’s work experience at Tiffany Studios and many sketches of her designs, such as the leaded glass cobweb lamp, and signature dragonfly lamp.
These letters were “Round-Robin,” which means they circulate the family before they are returned back to the sender. Emily and Clara’s letters were extensively detailed and some could run for 30 pages. These extensive Round-Robin letters are a vital primary source that doesn’t typically survive.
Automobile with the residence of J. Milton Bergen in the background.
ca. 1920s
Photograph in Jamaica
Accession Number: 2000.10.290
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© 2021 Michelle Weigel & Anton Sherin. Created in coordination with the Queens Historical Society and St. John’s University’s MSLIS program.
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