Childhood in the BronxContemporary Photos by Georgeen Comerford

The Leonard Lief Library "Childhood in the Bronx" digitization project was supported in part by funds from the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) through the New York State Regional Bibliographic Databases Program.

The Bronx Institute Archives are housed in the Special Collections division of the Leonard Lief Library of Lehman College, CUNY.

The Mermaid. 1985.

A girl enjoys her swimming class at P.S. 32 in Belmont.

Making a Mask. 1985.

A boy shows off the mask he made in a crafts program at the Bronx River Restoration Art Center.

A Child with a Disability Waits. 1985.

A child with a vision disability stands and waits at the New York Institute for the Education of the Blind.

Boy on Sculpture. 1983.

A boy sits atop one of Adolph A. Weinman's four sculptures at the Bronx County Courthouse.

Girl in a Good Friday

Procession. 1985.

A girl stands in line for a procession on Good Friday at St. Simon Stock Church, Fordham.

Mother and Child at Window. 1986.

A toddler and mother at their window sill, looking out onto Valentine Avenue and 182nd Street.

Children Playing. 1971.

Children at play seem unconcerned about the muddy puddle the girl is wading through, at the corner of Shakespeare Avenue at 170th Street. The girl drinks her soda on what is probably a hot summer day. The wall in the rear is marked with graffiti.

Youngsters Playing Bongos.

1980..

Friends gather to enjoy bongo playing outside a santeria, selling religious articles, along Courtlandt Avenue and 153rd Street

Girl with Jump Rope. 1985.

Girl stands at a fence holding a jump rope at Roberto Clemente State Park.

Children in a Playground. 1985.

Children doing back flips on playground equipment in the Longwood-Foxhurst area. Neighborhood apartment buildings and small houses are also shown.

The Dare Devil on a Bike Ramp. 1984.

A boy takes a daring bicycle ride on a ramp, created out of found materials, at Courtlandt Avenue. His play area is a vacant lot behind an abandoned building.

Two on a Unicycle. 1984.

A man holds a child on his shoulders as they ride his unicycle along Melrose Avenue and East 154th Street in front of apartment buildings.

Fire Hydrant Shower on A Hot Day. 1984.

Children cool off on a hot day in Melrose with a fire hydrant shower. Other children, coming out of the adjacent playground, take in the scene. They notice that the child in a wheel chair is catching the water spray, too, judging from the wet sidewalk. Buildings are in the rear.

Crossing the Bronx River. 1985.

A child crosses over the Bronx River at West Farms, using an overhead rope.

"Icarus" or Jumping from an Abandoned Building. 1981.

A child jumps from an abandoned building in Melrose onto a mattress below. He seems unaware of any possible danger or that he could miss his mark as he aims for a soft landing on the mattress.

Child Playing in a Schoolyard. 1985.

A child plays in a schoolyard in the Bedford Park area.

On His Way to the Operating Room. 1985.

A baby boy waits to be taken for surgery at the Hospital of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Braiding Her Daughter's Hair. 1983.

A Muslim woman braids her daughter's hair on a warm day in Bronx Park.

Mother Hugging Son. 1985.

A mother hugs her disabled son, who is mentally retarded, at the Kennedy Child Study Center, Kingsbridge.

Mother Holds Her Newborn. 1985.

After a difficult birth, a teenaged mother holds her new baby daughter who is only eight hours old. They are at the Hospital of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Mother and Child at the Shelter. 1985.

A teenaged mother tends to her toddler at the Roberto Clemente State Park. She is surrounded by cots and cribs used at this shelter for homeless families.

A Kiss for the Baby. 1985.

A father kisses his toddler daughter at the Roberto Clemente State Park which shelters homeless families.

High School Student Holding Cigarette. 1984.

A boy stands holding a lighted cigarette while also holding his Morris High School text book.

Teenager Resting in Group Home. 1985.

A boy living at the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin Group Home in the Laconia neighborhood. A heart-shaped gift from his girl friend is displayed on the wall. He is nearing 18 years of age and will soon be leaving the group home.

Waiting for the IRT. 1982.

A boy, alone in his thoughts, waits for the IRT train at the Yankee Stadium station on 161th Street.

Pregnant Teenager. 1985.

This pregnant teenager is at Rosalie Hall in the Williamsbridge area and is awaiting the birth of her baby.

Irish Dancing School Student. 1985.

This freckle-faced, four year-old girl is in her second year as a student of the Shamrock Club Irish Dancing School in the Bedford Park neighborhood.

Funeral Procession for a Teenager. 1984.

This sad scene suggests a violent end, as a teenager's casket is carried by family and friends along St. Ann's Avenue in the North New York neighborhood. The deceased's girl friend, at the front of the procession, is comforted by an older woman.

Teenaged Couple on Their Wedding Day. 1980.

Following a church wedding and wearing attire rented by a photograph studio, the teenaged bride and groom happily follow their ring bearer and flower girl.

Flower Girl at a Wedding. 1984.

A flower girl waits with the wedding party in the North New York neighborhood.

On a Fire Escape. 1980.

A boy sits on the firescape, outside of his South Bronx apartment, and looks out onto the street.

Reading in the Library. 1985.

A boy enjoys his Sesame Street book at the Melrose Branch of the New York Public Library.

Cambodian Boy. 1985.

A smiling Cambodian boy poses at I.S. 137.

Blowing Bubble Gum. 1985.

A school girl from the Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy with her hair in pig tails is shown blowing bubble gum.

Pre-school Student. 1985.

A pre-school boy at the Riverdale Temple Nursery School seems lost in thought. When told by the photographer that he looked like "an angel in a Renaissance painting" he remarked that he had been told that before.

Little Girl and Stray Cats. 1980.

This little girl lives in a housing project where no pets are allowed. Here she enjoys the company of two street cats in the Morrisania area.

Irish Coleen. 1985.

An Irish girl in the Bedford Park neighborhood makes a statement with her bold tee shirt.

Boy with His Bike. 1977.

A boy rests on his bicycle while waiting at the Bronx County Building near Macombs Dam . This young boy died in a social club fire the following week. He was only fourteen years of age.

Pool at P.S. 32. 1985.

A group of school children perfecting their swimming skills in the pool at P.S. 31 in Belmont.

The Roman Soldier at the Good Friday Passion Play. 1984.

A boy plays the part of a Roman solider in a Good Friday passion play at St. Simon Stock Church in the Fordham area.