Bronx Park History Preserved on Digital Postcards

Baby giant pandas, rare okapis, and scarlet ibises are some of the animals that are featured on 450 historical postcards—dating from 1903 to the 1980s—that are now available online.
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Bronx Park History Preserved on Digital Postcards
"Andy" the orangutan in the Bronx Zoo from a 1959 postcard. The back of the postcard reads: "Andy" a magnificent specimen of adult male Orang-utan, came to the Bronx Zoo when he was a baby. He likes to stare at Zoo visitors and wave at them. Images courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society
Catherine Yang
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<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/botanicalgarden.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-287500" title="The Lorillard Mansion in the New York Botanical Garden depicted in a black and white photograph printed on a 9x14 cm postcard. (Images courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society)" src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/botanicalgarden-676x419.jpg" alt="The Lorillard Mansion in the New York Botanical Garden depicted in a black and white photograph printed on a 9x14 cm postcard. (Images courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society)" width="590" height="366"/></a>
The Lorillard Mansion in the New York Botanical Garden depicted in a black and white photograph printed on a 9x14 cm postcard. (Images courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society)

NEW YORK—Baby giant pandas, rare okapis, and scarlet ibises are some of the animals that are featured on 450 historical postcards—dating from 1903 to the 1980s—that are now available online. 

The New York Botanical Garden and Wildlife Conservation Society published the digital Bronx Park Postcard Collection to preserve the history of Bronx Park. 

<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/red+deer+herd.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-287502" title="A herd of red deer in the New York Zoological Park from a 1908 colored photograph.(Images courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society)" src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/red+deer+herd-676x427.jpg" alt="A herd of red deer in the New York Zoological Park from a 1908 colored photograph.(Images courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society)" width="590" height="373"/></a>
A herd of red deer in the New York Zoological Park from a 1908 colored photograph.(Images courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society)

Many of the historical postcards were donations, and feature aspects of the park’s landscape and iconic structures, in addition to the zoo animals. A 1908 colored photograph shows the interior of the New York Zoological Park’s flying cage, filled with flamingos and other birds. An undated black and white photograph depicts the walkway around the conservatories. 

<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/andy.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-287503" title=""Andy" the orangutan in the Bronx Zoo from a 1959 postcard. The back of the postcard reads: "Andy" a magnificent specimen of adult male Orang-utan, came to the Bronx Zoo when he was a baby. He likes to stare at Zoo visitors and wave at them. (Images courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society)" src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/andy-287x450.jpg" alt=""Andy" the orangutan in the Bronx Zoo from a 1959 postcard. The back of the postcard reads: "Andy" a magnificent specimen of adult male Orang-utan, came to the Bronx Zoo when he was a baby. He likes to stare at Zoo visitors and wave at them. (Images courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society)" width="223" height="350"/></a>

“These postcards are a gateway to our past and they provide insight into our history,” said Jim Breheny, director of the Bronx Zoo in a release. “This is a great way for the public to learn more about the evolution of the Bronx Zoo and the Bronx Park.”

Bronx Park was formally created by the city of New York in the late 1880s, inspired by the urban park movement. The city allotted 250 acres of the park to the New York Botanical Garden in 1891, and in 1897 allotted another 250 acres for the creation of what is today called the Bronx Zoo. Today, the park spans 718 acres. 

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Catherine Yang
Catherine Yang
Author
Catherine Yang is a reporter for The Epoch Times based in New York.
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