Art & Artifacts Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Badge |
Collection |
Alfred E. Steers collection |
Object ID |
M1985.15.57 |
Date |
1912 |
Dimension Details |
4 5/8" H x 1 1/2" W x 0 3/8" D |
Description |
1912 ribbon badge for United Cyclists Parade at Brighton Beach. |
Place Names |
Brighton Beach (New York, N.Y.) Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) |
Subject Headings |
Celebrations Cyclists Parades & processions Ribbon badges |
Personal and Corporate Names |
Steers, Alfred E., 1860-1948 |
Collection Finding Aid |
Alfred E. Steers collection (ARC.009) |
Curatorial Notes |
Donated to BHS by his descendants, this ceremonial ribbon once belonged to Brooklynite Alfred E. Steers (1860-1948). Together, his collection of mementos, medals, and ribbons document both Steers' official municipal activities and his involvement in important local civic organizations. Steers lived at a critical transitional moment in Brooklyn's history, when the independent city was giving way to the borough. Born into a grocer family in the town of Flatbush (today a neighborhood of Brooklyn), Steers quickly rose to prominence in local government. Appointed first a justice of the peace in Flatbush, in the 1890s Steers became city magistrate and in 1910, Brooklyn Borough President. As Borough President, Steers was a constant ceremonial presence at local celebrations and events. In 1912, he acted as Marshall at the United Cyclists Parade at the new "Motordome" stadium at Brighton Beach in Coney Island, a circular racetrack fitted for both automobile and motorcycle racing, two recreational sports then rising in popularity. |