Photographer Frank Libal of Old Brooklyn

Frank J. Libal, 1910-1983, was founder and president of Old Brooklyn’s United Photo, which he operated for 41 years. His interest in photography began early, when, as a 10-year-old child, he received an Eastman Kodak Hawkeye box camera for opening a savings account. During the Depression, he set up a photo processing lab in his parents' basement and sent his younger siblings to neighborhood stores to solicit photo processing jobs, promising 24-hour turnaround times. He was soon managing the camera department at Higbee's, and went on to work in commercial photography, eventually designing and making his own photographic equipment.

Mr. Libal served as historian of The Historical Society of Old Brooklyn (known at the time as the Four Corners Guild), and we are grateful to that organization for sharing a selection of his photographs with us.

Additional Resources