Who knew that these little window canopies were all the rage in Bed Stuy back in the 1920s? (This shot is from Herkimer Street.) We certainly didn’t. One occasionally sees metal versions of these over some brownstone doorways, but those probably date only as far back as the 1970s, we’d imagine. Anyone know anything about this curious craze? Perhaps it was a utilitarian move to keep sunlight out in the days before air conditioning. Photo from “Brooklyn…And How It Got That Way” by David W. McCullough.