Brooklyn Journals

Brooklyn Journals, The Distance from a Point to a Line in Time

These drawings are inspired by the travels of the Dutchman Jasper Danckaerts, who documented his journey through the land that is now Brooklyn in the 1670s. His journals and drawings – now part of the collection of the Brooklyn Historical Society form one of the earliest visual records of the area.

In 1679, Danckaerts traveled from the Netherlands to America in search of a suitable location for the Labadist community, a 17th-century Protestant religious sect. During his travels, he kept detailed journals and made drawings of his surroundings, which later became the first known depictions of what we now call Brooklyn.

Reading Danckaerts’ journals today reveals a keen-eyed and meticulous observer. The vividness of his writing lies in the attention he pays to seemingly trivial details and personal observations—elements that bring his world to life centuries later.

In my own work, I recognize Danckaerts’ careful eye for detail. Perhaps it’s a Dutch thing. With Danckaerts’ texts and drawings in mind, I created a series of drawings for the exhibition Mapping Brooklyn at BRIC.