In Alice Quinn’s new book, The Rose Code, women (and a few men) work tirelessly to break German codes to further Great Britain’s World War II efforts. For them, it’s about recognizing the patterns. If you’ve ever tried to tease clues out of a photo then you can relate. Photo code-breaking consists of identifying not only people but objects and places. Get one wrong and the message/story is different.
In my last blog post, I wrote about the supposed Helmuth Voight image taken in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. The place is identifiable and easily researched, except for the building on the left. In the caption for that image, the building is a food concession. But in order to find out more and link Helmuth to it, I needed a name. Searching Google Images helped a bit. On one site a caption refers to the structure as a French restaurant while on another it’s called The Shelter.
Searching for the Right Word
Sometimes all it takes when researching an image is the correct name. That’s why on my reference shelf I keep a visual dictionary. It’s a dictionary of pictures and identifiers. While it’s handy to have around, it didn’t help me with this image.
Ebay.com is a great source when trying to find visuals. Beware though. Descriptions aren’t always accurate. If you’re looking for images of a specific place or family, you can set up an alert so you never miss out. My new YouTube video shows you how. In this case, I found a couple of postcards of interest, but nothing that provided new information.
I like to start with a visual search but publications in Google books supplied details on Prospect Park. When the pieces fall into place, it’s seems so obvious. The answer was there all the time.
In Frederick Law Olmstead’s papers, it’s called the Concert Grove House as opposed to the Concert Grove Pavilion next door. Designed by Vaux and Thomas Wisedell it opened in 1874. It was indeed a restaurant where individuals could have a light supper and refreshments while listening to a concert. It was torn down in 1949.1
Do I know anything about Helmuth Voight running the concession in this building? Only what the caption said, but I’m not giving up.
Sources
1Censer, Jane Turner., Schuyler, David., Hoffman, Carolyn F.., Beveridge, Charles E.., Hawkins, Kenneth., Olmsted, Frederick Law., Shapiro, Michael., Gagel, Amanda., Ranney, Victoria Post., Carr, Ethan., McLaughlin, Charles Capen. The years of Olmsted, Vaux & Company, 1865-1874. United Kingdom: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992. Books.Google.com p. 427.