[Bethel Avenue, Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, N.Y.]

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Winding lanes through rolling ground and mature trees define the view down Bethel Avenue inside Greenwood Cemetery, the Brooklyn burial ground opened in 1838 as one of the first large rural cemeteries in the United States. Such landscaped grounds were meant to be places of quiet walking and reflection as much as burial, drawing visitors on Sunday outings. The picture was made between about 1905 and 1920 by the Detroit Publishing Company, which sent photographers across the country and produced views for travel guides and promotional sales. The glass negative is cracked and has been taped to a second sheet, a repair that shows how carefully these fragile plates had to be handled over the decades.

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