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# A Look Inside Flatbush Homes In 1978, Through The Lens Of Dinanda Nooney
- URL: https://bklyner.com/a-look-inside-flatbush-homes-in-1978-through-the-lens-of-dinanda-nooney-ditmas-park/
- Published: 2014-01-10T20:50:00.000Z
- Updated: 2014-01-10T20:50:00.000Z
- Author: Nora Whelan
- Tags: dinanda nooney, Mary Kay Gallagher, the nooney brooklyn photos, then and now, #API-Imported

![Mary Kay Gallagher by Dinanda Nooney, via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index-2.php_-600x751.jpeg)

New York history and interior design lovers alike got all excited yesterday over [Messy Nessy Chic](http://www.messynessychic.com/2014/01/08/the-great-brooklyn-house-snooping-of-1978/?ref=bklyner.com)‘s article featuring a selection of [The Nooney Brooklyn Photographs](http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/?col%5Fid=622&ref=bklyner.com)–a set of shots documenting the home lives of Brooklynites in 1978.

All of the photos are fascinating, be it the people in the frame or the decor at hand (which looks strangely at times like what you might find in certain Brooklyn homes today), but we noticed a few photos that particularly intrigued us as Flatbush fanatics.

As it turns out, Dinanda Nooney photographed longtime area realtor and resident [Mary Kay Gallagher](http://marykayg.com/?ref=bklyner.com) in Gallagher’s Marlborough Road home, among other Flatbush residents in theirs. Below, you’ll find photos of Mary Kay and other former (and likely some current!) neighbors, as well as what Mary Kay had to say about her experience with Nooney.

![Mary Kay Gallagher by Dinanda Nooney, via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index.php_-600x737.jpeg)

“Dinanda Nooney was all you figured her to be,” says Mary Kay, who calls her “a very charming person.” Nooney photographed hundreds of people in their homes across the borough, often being referred to her next subject by a former one–so one would figure she had to be a charismatic soul who put people at ease.

![Mary Kay Gallagher by Dinanda Nooney, via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index-1.php_-600x745.jpeg)

Come to think of it, Mary Kay says she’s not exactly sure how Nooney found her–though it might have been through the Brooklyn Museum, where Mary Kay was an active member at the time.

“But we had a a very pleasant day together,” she says, “and we kept in touch for quite a while.” Nooney donated her collection the the NYPL in 1995, [Messy Nessy Chic](http://www.messynessychic.com/2014/01/08/the-great-brooklyn-house-snooping-of-1978/?ref=bklyner.com) says, before passing away in 2004.

Mary Kay says she also still has the photos somewhere around her house. She admits, “My desk is pretty much the same!”

![Mary Kay Gallagher by Dinanda Nooney, via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index-3.php_-600x743.jpeg)

Below are photos of families in various homes around our area–but they’re just a sampling of the treasure trove that is The Nooney Brooklyn Photographs. Recognize anyone–or surprised to see your home was featured?

![Nooney photo via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index-4.php_-600x735.jpeg)

*Marie Greco and children, 494 Rugby Road*

![Nooney photo via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index-5.php_-600x743.jpeg)

*Family of Robert Sandoval, 499 Rugby Road* 

![Nooney photo via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index-6.php_-600x742.jpeg)

*Ruth White, 651 Marlborough Road*

[![Nooney photo via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index-7.php_-600x750.jpeg)](http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=1055345&imageID=1563777&total=132&num=40&parent%5Fid=1055261&s=¬word=&d=&c=&f=&k=1&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&lword=&lfield=&sort=&imgs=20&pos=53&snum=&e=w&ref=bklyner.com)

*Susan Fried and children, 501 E 17th Street*

![Nooney photo via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index.php_2-600x743.jpeg)

*Erskin and Eleanor Agee, 165 Argyle Road*

![Nooney photo via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index.php_1-600x739.jpeg)

*The Gert and Sylvia Thorn family, 305 Rugby Road*

[![Nooney photo via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index-1.php_1-600x743.jpeg)](http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=1055365&imageID=1563797&total=132&num=60&parent%5Fid=1055261&s=¬word=&d=&c=&f=&k=1&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&lword=&lfield=&sort=&imgs=20&pos=73&snum=&e=w&ref=bklyner.com)

*Larry and Margery Nathanson, 1423 Albemarle Road*

[![Nooney photo via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index-1.php_2-600x742.jpeg)](http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=1055386&imageID=1563818&total=132&num=80&parent%5Fid=1055261&s=¬word=&d=&c=&f=&k=1&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&lword=&lfield=&sort=&imgs=20&pos=95&snum=&e=w&ref=bklyner.com)

*Ken and Jerry Friedman, 667 E 18th Street*

[![Nooney photo via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index-2.php_1-600x733.jpeg)](http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=1055393&imageID=1563825&total=132&num=100&parent%5Fid=1055261&s=¬word=&d=&c=&f=&k=1&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&lword=&lfield=&sort=&imgs=20&pos=102&snum=&e=w&ref=bklyner.com)

*Beatrice Cagliari, 184 Marlborough Road*

![Nooney photo via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index-3.php_1-600x745.jpeg)

*Welch family, 799 E 17th Street*

![Nooney photo via NYPL](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/index-4.php_1-600x741.jpeg)

*McAllister family, 1510 Albemarle Road*

You can read more about Dinanda Nooney’s life and methods at the [original article](http://www.messynessychic.com/2014/01/08/the-great-brooklyn-house-snooping-of-1978/?ref=bklyner.com), and see the whole collection (including several other Flatbush shots) in the [New York Public Library archive](http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/?col%5Fid=622&ref=bklyner.com).

*All photos by Dinanda Nooney, via the [New York Public Library](http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=1055341&imageID=1563773&total=5&num=0&word=mary%20kay&s=1¬word=&d=&c=622&f=&k=1&lWord=&lField=&sScope=Collection%20Guide&sLevel=&sLabel=At%20Home%20in%20Brooklyn%3A%20The%20Nooney%20Brooklyn%2E%2E%2E&sort=&imgs=20&pos=2&e=r&ref=bklyner.com)*