Castle Garden: Where Immigrants Came Before Ellis Island
Everyone knows that immigrants came through Ellis Island to settle in America, but where did they go before that? The answer is Castle Garden, now known as the Castle Clinton National Monument, on the...
View ArticleHappy Labor Day! Now Get To The Beach
Though the weather will most likely continue to be warm, Labor Day really does feel like the end of summer. And what better way to celebrate the end of summer than to soak up every last minute of it on...
View Articlehere is new york: Photographs from 9/11
On September 11, 2001, New York City was rocked to its core. But amidst the chaos, some people attempted to document that day and the days surrounding, so that future generations may understand what it...
View ArticleWhen New York City Center Was A Shriner Temple
On 56th street and 6th avenue sits the New York City Center for Music and Drama, and incredible venue with a neo-Moorish facade and beautiful interior of desert murals and gilded accents. But this...
View ArticleHappy Birthday Eleanor Roosevelt: Modern Woman of the Gilded Age
On October 11, 1884 Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on West 37th Street in New York City. By the end of her life, she would be known as the longest serving First Lady of the United States, and Harry...
View ArticleWhere Were Brooklyn’s and Queens’ Butcher Shops 100 Years Ago?
There are still a few good butcher shops left in this town, but unfortunately, sometimes you have to know where to look. That did not seem to be the case in 1910, when butcher shops could be found all...
View ArticlePhotos: New York Is A Winter Wonderland, No Matter The Year
New York is a magical place in the winter—just look at the snow outside right now! From the holiday decorations to ice skating in Central Park, there’s always something fun to do in the winter, even if...
View ArticleHow New Yorkers Got Their Cultural Fixes
New York has long been known as a center of the arts, with many spaces dedicated to music, dance, and other performances. Many have stood strong for decades, while others are almost forgotten. Below...
View ArticleWoolworth’s May Be Gone, But We Still Have The Woolworth Building
On February 22, 1878, F. W. Woolworth opened the first Woolworth store in Utica, New York. That store failed, but he reopened in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and began one of the most successful chain...
View ArticleHow Bill Cunningham’s New York Has Changed, And Stayed The Same
From 1968 through the mid-70s, photographer Bill Cunningham set out to photograph models in period costumes in front of beautiful historic settings around the city in a project called Facades (an...
View ArticleLet’s Pretend It’s Spring in New York
It is still so cold in New York. We had a Nor’easter Bomb yesterday and now it’s still cold and dreary, so let’s fantasize about the warmth and sun and color that comes in spring. Technically that’s...
View ArticleThe Hats of Spring
Finally, it’s warm and sunny enough to be able to enjoy the outdoors, which for many women means an excuse to don their best hats. Here’s a look at some of our favorite headwear represented in the...
View ArticleBeach Scenes From New York’s Past
Memorial Day Weekend is upon us, which means it’s officially beach season! The New York City parks department maintains 14 miles of beaches, which New Yorkers have been using to cool themselves from...
View Article130 Years Ago, Elephants Solved Panic On the Brooklyn Bridge
On May 24, 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge opened to traffic, and though now we know it as a beautiful landmark, New Yorkers of the time were a bit more wary. At the time it was the only bridge spanning the...
View ArticleHappy Birthday, Coney Island Cyclone!
It’s officially summer, which means Coney Island is hopping with locals and tourists alike, enjoying the beach, eating hot dogs, and riding rides. On June 26, 1927 one of Coney Island’s most popular...
View ArticleAnna May Wong: Chinese-American Star
The first thing to remember about movie star Anna May Wong is that she was an American. She was born Wong Liu Tsong in 1905 in Los Angeles, with Cantonese-American family that had lived in America...
View Article1915: Women March For Suffrage in New York City
On October 23, 1915, over 25,000 women marched up Fifth Avenue in New York City to advocate for women’s suffrage. At that point, the fight had been ongoing for more than 65 years, with the Seneca Falls...
View Article“How Long, Not Long:” Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Today the New-York Historical Society’s newest exhibit, Freedom Journey 1965: Photographs of the Selma to Montgomery March by Stephen Somerstein opens to the public just in time for Martin Luther King,...
View ArticleThe 1970 Women’s March for Equality in NYC
To kick-off our celebration of Women’s Herstory Month, let’s travel back to the groovy days of 1970. Pervasive inequality pushed the Second-wave Feminist Movement forward into the next decade. Its...
View ArticleThe Legacy of Voting Rights 50 Years After Selma
“Write right from left to the right as you see it spelled here.” Did you print your answer? If so, you got it wrong—it should have been written in cursive. “Spell backwards, forwards.” Did you include...
View ArticleLincoln and the Jews: An Interview with Dr. Jonathan Sarna
Did you know that more than twice as many books have been written about Abraham Lincoln than weeks have passed since his death almost 150 years ago? With Passover beginning at sundown, we’re honoring...
View ArticleInterview With Photographer Stephen Somerstein
On January 16, the New-York Historical Society will open Freedom Journey 1965: Stephen Somerstein Photographs from Selma to Montgomery. This exhibit features the stunning and historic photographs of...
View ArticleHappy Birthday, Women’s Suffrage!
This week the 19th Amendment, granting American women the right to vote, turned 95. To commemorate the victory, we’re continuing the tradition of the tenacious suffragettes. Join us tonight at 7 pm for...
View ArticleWhen NYC Was Electrified
This week, we remember the 106th anniversary of the Hudson-Fulton Celebration. Starting on September 25, 1909, over a million New Yorkers and tourists enthusiastically joined in the two-week...
View ArticleHappy Birthday, N-YHS!
This week, the New-York Historical Society turned 211! To celebrate our birthday we’re taking a look back on the construction of N-YHS’ permanent home at 170 Central Park West. Before settling along...
View ArticleFour Christmas Traditions born in New York
With more than four centuries of history, it’s no wonder that so many beloved Christmastime traditions originated in New York. Here are a few highlights, and remember if you’re in the city during the...
View ArticleWhen Penn Station Was a Masterpiece
Pennsylvania Station is finally getting much-needed renovation, but no amount of construction will bring back the bygone Beaux-Arts architectural magnum opus of the 20th century. Designed by McKim,...
View ArticleSuffrage on the Menu, Part II: The Marble House Conferences of 1909 and 1914
Written by Ina Bort Our last post explored the biography of Alva Vanderbilt Belmont, the doyenne-turned-activist we believe commissioned this plate’s manufacture. Today we explore the first of two...
View ArticleScenes from the First Earth Day: Photos from the 1970 Rallies in New York City
Every year on April 22, people around the world pause to rally for the planet. Earth Day has become a global event, part demonstration, part celebration, as concerned citizens lend their support to a...
View ArticleLIFE in Pictures: Pop Star Billy Eckstine and the Infamous 1950 Photo That...
Billy Eckstine drove his fans wild. Nicknamed Mr. B, the dashing singer had a voice that was described as a “suave bass-baritone” and a stage presence that, for a time at least, rivaled Frank...
View ArticleSan Francisco is a Ghost Town: The Story Behind Eadweard Muybridge’s Spooky...
Tycoons love to survey their empires. And in the 1870s, that empire was San Francisco. The city was in a period of ravenous growth fueled by mining discoveries like the 1848 Gold Rush and the Comstock...
View ArticleManhattan in Motion: Capturing Canal Street in 1986
Panoramas are all about spectacle, and the biggest spectacle in New-York Historical’s current exhibition Panoramas: The Big Picture is Claude Samton’s 1986 photomosaic of Manhattan’s Canal St. An...
View ArticleFrom Selma to Montgomery: Stephen Somerstein’s Photographs of the 1965 Civil...
Stephen Somerstein was a 24-year-old student at the City College of New York’s night school and picture editor of the student newspaper when he photographed some of the most iconic images of the civil...
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