Fireworks off the Bridge, 1883. Brooklyn Bridge Drawings Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.
Fireworks have been a part of American celebrations for centuries. Independence Day festivities traditionally include pyrotechnic displays. Many communities in the metropolitan New York area have fireworks at their annual 4th of July observances. The largest, and reputed to be the most spectacular, is the Macy’s-sponsored fireworks. First staged in 1976 to coincide with the Bicentennial, this annual event draws tens of thousands of visitors to the City.
Although fireworks are ubiquitous in City celebrations, researching the topic in Municipal Archives and Library collections results mainly in documentation of regulations to control their sale and possession, and relatively few depictions of the displays. Two notable exceptions, however, are both related to the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Brooklyn Bridge collection in the Municipal Archives includes drawings showing the grand fireworks display staged on its opening day, May 24, 1883. There are two items; both are watercolor, pastel and pencil works on paper by anonymous artists.
Fireworks off the Bridge, 1883. Brooklyn Bridge Drawings Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.
In the second instance, City photographers captured the spectacular fireworks display staged for the Bridge centennial on May 24, 1983.
Fireworks, May 24, 1983. Mayor Edward Koch Photograph Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.
This year the Macy’s-sponsored fireworks will be launched from barges positioned on the Hudson river between West 14th and West 34th Streets. The best spots to watch the display will be in Manhattan along the West Side Highway between those streets, or across the river near the New Jersey waterfront in Hoboken, Weehawken and Jersey City.
Whether or not it includes fireworks, For the Record wishes its readers a Happy Independence Day.