The New-York Historical Society reopens on Friday, September 11, 2020, with a full slate of exhibitions throughout the building and safety protocols in place for visitors and staff. The three-day opening weekend celebrates New York’s resilience with a special digital installation titled World Trade Center Four Decades: Photographs by Camilo José Vergara, a free virtual public program about 9/11, and joining institutions across the city by lighting up its façade as part of “Tribute in Lights.” The Museum has extended a number of special exhibitions, including Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution; Women March; Colonists, Citizens, Constitutions: Creating the American Republic; and The People Count: The Census in the Making of America.
On display September 11-13, World Trade Center Four Decades: Photographs by Camilo José Vergara showcases more than 40 digital photographs depicting the World Trade Center from the south, east, and west, chronicling its changes over half a century―from the early days of the Twin Towers’ construction in the 1970s, to their dominance of the skyline in the 1980s and 1990s, to the emptiness of the city’s horizon in the aftermath of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, to the slow rebuilding process that followed. On September 11 at 6 pm, a free, online program, History Responds: Pondering the Present, Revisiting the Past, recounts the advent of New-York Historical’s History Responds collecting initiative in the wake of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. The conversation features Valerie Paley, senior vice president and chief historian at New-York Historical and director of the Center for Women’s History; and Kenneth T. Jackson, Barzun Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University and president emeritus of New-York Historical.
Also on view outdoors in the Museum’s rear courtyard is the free exhibition Hope Wanted: New YorkCity Under Quarantine, which documents the experiences of New Yorkers across the five boroughs during the height of the pandemic. And opening October 23 as part of the Asia Society Triennial: We Do Not Dream Alone—a multi-venue festival of art, ideas, and innovation—New-York Historical and Asia Society Museum present their first ever collaborative exhibition, Dreaming Together, featuring side-by-side pairings from New-York Historical’s American art collection and Asia Society’s contemporary Asian art holdings.
“We are so pleased to once again welcome visitors to the indoor spaces of New-York Historical’s home on Central Park West,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO. “We have made our building safe through rigorous processes and protocols, and our staff has undergone extensive training to ensure that these safety measures are strictly enforced and respected by all. As the city’s oldest museum, New-York Historical has for 216 years served a vital role in chronicling the city and nation’s history, from New York’s emergence from the ruins of British occupation at the end of the Revolutionary War to the major metropolis the city is today. We are proud to welcome visitors again to engage in and enjoy learning about history, as the city itself comes back to life.”
New-York Historical’s new hours are Fridays, 10 am – 8 pm; and Saturdays and Sundays, 11 am – 5 pm. (Fridays 6 – 8 pm are pay-as-you-wish.) Special Member access will be offered every Friday 10 – 11am, and on September Thursdays 11am – 5pm. Seniors and immune-compromised visitors are also welcome on those dates. The DiMenna Children’s History Museum and Audubon’s Birds of America Focus Gallery will remain temporarily closed to visitors. Enhanced sanitizing and cleaning protocols, increased air filtration, and other safety measures have been implemented, and temperature screenings and face coverings are required for entry. Physical distancing will also be enforced: Attendance has been reduced to 25% of typical capacity, and timed-entry tickets can be booked online at nyhistory.org. Additional details about safety protocols can be found at nyhistory.org/safety. Since New-York Historical closed to the public on March 13 to help contain the spread of COVID-19, it has been actively collecting during these unprecedented times through its History Responds initiative, documenting the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests in New York City. For more details on its ongoing collecting efforts and how to donate items, visit nyhistory.org/history-responds.
Exhibitions on View
In addition to permanent exhibitions like the Gallery of Tiffany Lamps, Objects Tell Stories, and Meet the Presidents and the Oval Office, the following extended, special exhibitions will be on display when the Museum reopens:
Outdoor Exhibition: Hope Wanted: New YorkCity Under Quarantine Curated by writer Kevin Powell and photographer Kay Hickman, Hope Wanted comprises more than 50 photographs by Hickman and 12 audio interviews with the photographs’ subjects conducted by Powell, gathered during the team’s intensive two-day odyssey across the city on April 8–9, 2020. The free exhibition, on display through November 29 in New-York Historical’s rear courtyard (entrance located by 5 West 76th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue), provides an open-air environment for visitors to view the works on display and contemplate the impact of COVID-19 on New York City. The empathetic photographs of New Yorkers and their neighborhoods across all five boroughs and the compelling interviews capture both the tragedy of the pandemic as well as the remarkable resilience of the city and its people. The New-York Historical Society, one of America’s preeminent cultural institutions, is dedicated to fostering research and presenting history and art exhibitions and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded in 1804, New-York Historical has a mission to explore the richly layered history of New York City and State and the country, and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history. New-York Historical is also home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, one of the oldest, most distinguished libraries in the nation—and one of only 20 in the United States qualified to be a member of the Independent Research Libraries Association—which contains more than three million books, pamphlets, maps, newspapers, manuscripts, prints, photographs, and architectural drawings.
The New-York Historical Society is located at 170 Central Park West at Richard Gilder Way (77th Street), New York, NY 10024. Information: (212) 873-3400. Website: nyhistory.org. Follow the Museum on social media at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Tumblr.
(New York, NY) One
hundred years ago, women earned the right to vote with the ratification of the
19th amendment. To honor their fight and commemorate this moment in history, a
collective of New York City cultural organizations has formed the Women’s
Suffrage NYC Centennial Consortium.
The Women’s Suffrage NYC
Centennial Consortium is a collaboration
of cultural organizations citywide that foregrounds exhibitions and programs
that, together, offer a multi-dimensional picture of the history of women’s
suffrage and its lasting, ongoing impact. The consortium has launched www.WomensSuffrageNYC.org to
highlight the activities being presented across New York City throughout 2020.
Founding members are the
New-York Historical Society, the Staten Island Museum, the New York
Philharmonic, The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Historical Society, the
Museum of the City of New York, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black
Culture, the Brooklyn Museum, Park Avenue Armory, and Snug Harbor Cultural
Center and Botanical Garden.
Announced programming includes the exhibition Women March at the New-York Historical Society, which explores the efforts of a wide range of women to expand American democracy in the centuries before and after the suffrage victory (February 28 – August 30); Women of the Nation Arise! Staten Islanders in the Fight for Women’s Right to Vote at the Staten Island Museum, which presents the remarkable stories of local suffragists acting on the grassroots level to create the momentum necessary for regional and national change and the bold tactics they employed to win the vote (March 7 – December 30); the New York Philharmonic’s Project 19—a multi-season initiative to commission and premiere 19 new works by 19 women composers, the largest women-only commissioning initiative in history, which launched earlier this month and continues in the spring (May – June) and beyond; and 100 Years | 100 Women a partnership of Park Avenue Armory with National Black Theatre and nine other cultural institutions in New York City to commission work exploring the complex legacy of the 19th Amendment 100 years after its ratification from 100 artists who identify as women or gender non-binary (showcase of commissions on May 16).
The consortium is
committed to showcasing women’s contributions to the past, present, and future.
Though many women were given access to the right to vote 100 years ago, the
fight for equality continues. Their goal is to expand the conversation through
meaningful cultural experiences that convey that all women should be seen, heard,
and counted.
The Women’s Suffrage NYC
Centennial Consortium is co-chaired by Janice Monger, president & CEO of
the Staten Island Museum, and Valerie Paley, director of the Center for Women’s
History and senior vice president and chief historian at the New-York
Historical Society, to bring together a group of vital New York City cultural
organizations with a shared vision to honor the Women’s Suffrage Centennial.
“We are so proud to bring together this
collective of organizations and colleagues who share the vision that women’s
stories are important and need to be told. All of these activities represent
multi-faceted, nuanced cultural and historical insights into the early 20th
century movement and equality in progress today,” said Janice Monger, consortium
co-chair and Staten Island Museum president & CEO.
“In an effort that was many decades in the
making, a century ago, women came together to fight for and win the right to
vote. While that right was not fully and immediately extended to all women,
their continued collective action galvanized movements to expand and give
substantive meaning to American democracy after the suffrage victory,” said
Valerie Paley, consortium co-chair and senior vice president and chief
historian at the New-York Historical Society, where she directs the Center for
Women’s History. “Through these cultural experiences across New York City, we
hope New Yorkers and visitors alike will be inspired by the women who made
history and the women who are making history now,” she added.
The Women’s Suffrage NYC
Centennial Consortium will continue to grow as new programs and exhibitions are
announced during the year.
The Women’s Suffrage NYC
Centennial Consortium has been supported by the founding organizations and
Humanities New York.
Choctaw Nation Constitution of 1838 / The Constitution and Laws of the Choctaw Nation Park Hill, Cherokee Nation: John Candy, 1840. Photo credit: Ardon Bar-Hama
Herman Hollerith’s Punched Card Tabulator. Scientific American, vol. 63., no. 9. New York, 1890. Courtesy of David M. Rubenstein
Free Admission to Civics Exhibitions for College Students Through 2020
NEW YORK, NY – As election year 2020 begins, the New-York Historical Society launches a series of special exhibitions that address the cornerstones of citizenship and American democracy. Starting on Presidents’ Day Weekend, visitors to Meet the Presidents will discover how the role of the president has evolved since George Washington with a re-creation of the White House Oval Office and a new gallery devoted to the powers of the presidency. Opening on the eve of Women’s History Month, Women March marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment with an immersive celebration of 200 years of women’s political and social activism. Colonists, Citizens, Constitutions: Creating the American Republic explores the important roles state constitutions have played in the history of our country, while The People Count: The Census in the Making of America documents the critical role played by the U.S. Census in the 19th century—just in time for the 2020 Census.
To encourage first-time voters to learn about our nation’s history and civic as they get ready to vote in the presidential election, New-York Historical Society is offering free admission to these exhibitions to college students with ID through 2020, an initiative supported, in part, by The History Channel. This special program allows college students to access New-York Historical’s roster of upcoming exhibitions that explore the pillars of American democracy as they prepare to vote, most of them for the first time.
“The year 2020 is a momentous time for both the past and future of American politics, as the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, coincides with both a presidential election and a census year,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of New-York Historical. “This suite of complementary exhibitions showcases the ideas and infrastructure behind our American institutions that establish and protect our fundamental rights to make our voices heard and opinions count. We hope that all visitors will come away with a wider understanding of the important role each citizen plays in our democracy.”
Meet the Presidents (February 14 – ongoing) Opening on Presidents’ Day Weekend, a special permanent gallery on New-York Historical’s fourth floor features a detailed re-creation of the White House Oval Office, where presidents have exercised their powers, duties, and responsibilities since 1909. Visitors to New-York Historical can explore the Oval Office, hear audio recordings of presidential musings, and even sit behind a version of the President’s Resolute Desk for a photo op.
Presidents can furnish the Oval Office to suit their own tastes, and this re-creation evokes the decor of President Ronald Reagan’s second term, widely considered a classic interpretation of Oval Office design. The Resolute Desk, which has been used by almost every president, was presented by Queen Victoria of England in friendship to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. The original was made from timbers from the British Arctic explorer ship H.M.S. Resolute, which was trapped in the ice, recovered by an American whaling ship, and returned to England. Other elements reminiscent of the Reagan-era on view include a famous jar of jelly beans, an inspirational plaque reading “It can be done,” and artist Frederic Remington’s Bronco Buster bronze sculpture of a rugged cowboy fighting to stay on a rearing horse.
The Suzanne Peck and Brian Friedman Meet the Presidents Gallerytraces, through artwork and objects, the evolution of the presidency and executive branch and how presidents have interpreted and fulfilled their leadership role. Highlights include the actual Bible used during George Washington’s inauguration in 1789 and a student scrapbook from 1962 chronicling JFK’s leadership during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Meet the Presidents is curated by Marci Reaven, vice president of history exhibits, and Lily Wong, assistant curator.
Women March (February 28 – August 30) For as long as there has been a United States, women have organized to shape the nation’s politics and secure their rights as citizens. Their collective action has taken many forms, from abolitionist petitions to industry-wide garment strikes to massive marches for an Equal Rights Amendment. Women March celebrates the centennial of the 19th Amendment—which granted women the right to vote in 1920—as it explores the efforts of a diverse array of women to expand American democracy in the centuries before and after the suffrage victory. On view in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery, Women March is curated by Valerie Paley, the director of the Center for Women’s History and New-York Historical senior vice president and chief historian, with the Center for Women’s History curatorial team. The immersive exhibition features imagery and video footage of women’s collective action over time, drawing visitors into a visceral engagement with the struggles that have endured into the 21st century.
The exhibition begins with the many ways women asserted political influence long before they even demanded the vote. Objects and images demonstrate how they risked criticism for speaking against slavery, signed petitions against Indian Removal, raised millions to support the Civil War, and protested reduced wages and longer days. A riveting recreation of an 1866 speech by African American suffragist and activist Frances Harper demonstrates the powerful debates at women’s rights conventions. Absence of the vote hardly prevented women from running for political office: one engaging item on display is a campaign ribbon for Belva Lockwood, the first woman to argue before the Supreme Court, who won around 4,000 votes in her own presidential bid.
Multiple perspectives on the vote, including African American and working-class activism, are explored, upending popular assumptions that suffragists were a homogenous group. The 19th Amendment is hailed as a crucial step forward, but recognized as an incomplete victory. One photograph shows an African American women’s voter group in Georgia circa 1920, formed despite wide disenfranchisement, and another shows women of the League of Women Voters who sought to make suffragists’ goals real with legislation that addressed issues such as public health and child welfare. A digital interactive monitor invites visitors to explore the nuances of voting laws concerning women across the entire United States.
Offering an examination of women’s activism in the century after the Amendment, the exhibition concludes by showing how women engaged with issues such as safe workplaces, civil rights, reproductive justice, and freedom from violence. Photographs and video footage of women building warships, boycotting segregation, urging voters to register, and marching for the Equal Rights Amendment convey the urgency of their desire for full citizenship. The dynamism of women’s collective action continues to the present day with handmade signs from the 2017 Women’s Marches and footage of a variety of marches and speeches on topics ranging from reproductive justice to indigenous peoples’ rights to climate change. Visitors can also learn about many individuals who have been instrumental in women’s activism over the past 200 years in an interactive display compiled by New-York Historical’s Teen Leaders program. Meanwhile, young visitors can explore the exhibition with a special family guide.
Colonists, Citizens, Constitutions (February 28 – May 31) America has been singular among nations in fostering a vibrant culture of engagement with constitutional matters and the fundamental principles of government. Featuring more than 40 books and documents from the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation’s collection, Colonists, Citizens, Constitutions: Creating the American Republic illuminates America’s continuing debates on the role and limits of government and the fundamental rights of all citizens. From the early days of the American Revolution, to the American Civil War, to the eve of World War I, the rare and early printings of state and federal constitutions trace defining moments in American history and are testaments to our nation’s continuing experiment in self-government and the relentless quest for improvement.
Among the highlights on view is a rare example of the original Dunlap and Claypoole 1787 printing of the U.S. Constitution—one of few surviving copies. Manuscripts, such as the first known description of the Great Seal of America from 1782 and a certified 1802 handwritten copy of the 12th Amendment that altered the system for electing the president and vice president are also on view. The Choctaw Nation Constitution of 1838, written by members of the tribe forcibly relocated from Mississippi to Oklahoma, combines American constitutional forms with traditional practices in an effort to preserve self-government and prevent further violations of their fundamental rights. The Constitution of the Republic of Texas (1836) sanctioned slavery and led the United States to initially decline Texas’ requests for annexation; the inclusion of slavery in the Missouri Constitution of 1820 also led to a bitter fight in Congress to deny Missouri admission to the union. The progressive Louisiana Constitution of 1868 of the Civil War Reconstruction period prohibited segregation of schools by race. Kansas was the first of more than 30 states to prohibit alcohol with the Kansas State Prohibition Amendment of 1880, eventually leading to national Prohibition through the 18th Amendment in 1919. The Wyoming Constitution of 1889 declared that “male and female citizens” could exercise all rights equally, including the right “to vote and hold office”—three decades before federal ratification of the 19th Amendment. The bilingual New Mexico Constitution of 1910—Constitution of the State of New Mexico/Constitucion del Estado de Nuevo Mexico—guaranteed that all laws, including the constitution, would be published in both English and Spanish for at least 20 years.
Colonists, Citizens, Constitutions: Creating the American Republic also includes a selection of songs from WNYC’s Radio Lab “27: The Most Perfect Album,” in which contemporary musicians were asked to interpret the 27 amendments of the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights in their own distinctive style with original new music. Musicians include Flor de Toloache, Sons of an Illustrious Father, Nana Grizol, Dolly Parton, and Caroline Shaw. The full album was conceived by the podcast More Perfect, a production of WNYC Studios, and is available for free online.
This exhibition is the first public viewing of these selected historical documents together, and after its run at New-York Historical, it travels to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia (June 12 – July 5, 2020). Curated by James F. Hrdlicka of Arizona State University with Michael Ryan, New-York Historical vice president and Sue Ann Weinberg director of the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue written by Dr. Hrdlicka, with a foreword by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and with contributions by Dorothy Tapper Goldman and Robert McD. Parker.
The People Count: The Census in the Making of America (March 13 – June 7) What does it mean to be counted? As the 2020 Census kicks off, The People Count: The Census in the Making of America from the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection provides an in-depth look at the origins and story of the U. S. Census from 1790 through the 1800s, using 30 books and manuscripts that reveal the critical role the Census played in the development of the country. America became the first country to count its inhabitants for reasons of governing, as it dictates the number of House of Representatives seats that each state gets. In the 19th century as the country grew, so did the stakes of the census process, which further drove our nation west—and to war with itself.
The 2020 census will be the 24th decennial count undertaken without fail for 230 years. Censuses before the Constitution were the charge of the Board of Trade, which sent questionnaires to every colonial governor. “The Present State of the British Colonies in America” on display transcribes the results from 1773 to 1775, just as the American Revolution began, describing the people and land that England controlled at the time. On March 1, 1790, the First Census Act passed. The first census took 18 months to finish and counted almost 4 million people. Thomas Jefferson, then secretary of state, improvised a 56-page report, signing and circulating it privately, a copy of which is on view.
The People Count pays particular attention to the problem of the Three-Fifths Compromise, the census-related clause in the Constitution that regarded slaves equal to 60% of freepersons. Unable to vote, enslaved people unwittingly added to the political representation of slaveholders. Displayed in the exhibition is the 1860 census, which counted 3.95 million slaves, an eighth of all Americans, and uncovered that in 10 years the North had gained 41% more people while the South grew by only 27%. On view are printings of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Ninth Census—Volume I, The Statistics of the Population of the United States, the 1870 census, when there was no longer slaves to be counted for the first time in nine censuses.
In the wake of the Civil War as the population grew and expanded west, the 1880 census reports took eight years to finish. An 1890 copy of Scientific American illustrates how the counting was accomplished in less time with the Punched Card Tabulator system invented by Herman Hollerith, a former census employee from Buffalo, New York. Divided into four devices for perforating, reading, and sorting, workers completed 62.9 million returns of 30 questions in less than five years.
The People Count: The Census in the Making of America is curated by Mazy Boroujerdi, advisor to the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection, and by Michael Ryan, New-York Historical vice president and Sue Ann Weinberg director of the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library.
Programming
Historians and scholars engage in a slate of related conversations, lectures,
and intimate salons throughout the winter and spring. Black women and the 19th
Amendment (March 12), older women in American history (March 19), and the life
of Harriet Tubman (April 14) are among the topics explored during Women
March. Programs that focus on the spirit of the law and the separation of
powers (April 30), foreign influence in the 2020 election (May 2), and the
presidents vs. the press (May 21) illuminate the presidency and the importance
of the Oval Office. Scholars discuss power, politics, and madness (February 22)
and the enduring constitutional vision of the Warren Court (April 25), among
other programs focused on civics.
Family programs that take place on select weekends throughout the exhibitions’
run bring history to life for young visitors. One of the highlights is
International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8, when families can make crafts and
meet historical interpreters portraying famous and little known leaders of the
women’s rights movement.
The New-York Historical Society, one
of America’s preeminent cultural institutions, is dedicated to fostering
research and presenting history and art exhibitions and public programs that
reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded
in 1804, New-York Historical has a mission to explore the richly layered
history of New York City and State and the country, and to serve as a national
forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of
history. New-York Historical is also home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein
Library, one of the oldest, most distinguished libraries in the nation—and one
of only 20 in the United States qualified to be a member of the Independent
Research Libraries Association—which contains more than three million books,
pamphlets, maps, newspapers, manuscripts, prints, photographs, and
architectural drawings.
The New-York Historical Society is located at 170 Central Park West at Richard
Gilder Way (77th Street), New York, NY 10024. Information: (212) 873-3400.
Website: nyhistory.org. Follow the museum on social media at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Tumblr.
New York, NY – The New-York Historical
Society, the oldest museum in New York, celebrates Revolutionary Summer.
The festivities kick off on July 4, with Free Admission for kids 17 and under.
A Museum-wide exploration of Revolutionary War times, Revolutionary Summerpresents outdoor events
every weekend featuring characters from the era; 18th-century art and
artifacts; a diorama of the Continental Army; and a host of programs for all
ages, including trivia nights, a DJ evening, and a Revolutionary Drag Tea
Party. On select weekends, visitors can explore a replica of George
Washington’s Headquarters Tent at an outdoor Continental Army encampment, meet
Living Historians portraying soldiers and spies, and learn about the many
facets of camp life during the War for Independence.
“We’re so excited to welcome visitors to New-York Historical this
summer with a full line-up of fun ways to experience the Revolutionary era,”
said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of the New-York Historical Society. “Revolutionary
Summer celebrates the outstanding, revolutionary times that ignited
the birth of our country with everything from a scavenger hunt to the chance to
meet George Washington.”
The centerpiece of Revolutionary Summer is a replica of George Washington’s Headquarters Tent, on display in New-York Historical’s outdoor courtyard on select weekends.
George Washington’s Headquarters Tent July 4–7 | July 26–28 | August 16–18 | August 23–25 | September 13–15 The centerpiece of Revolutionary Summer is a replica of George Washington’s Headquarters Tent, on display in New-York Historical’s outdoor courtyard on select weekends. The original Tent is on display at the Museum of the American Revolution (MoAR) in Philadelphia. Often called the “first Oval Office,” the Headquarters Tent was where Washington and his most trusted staff plotted the strategy that ultimately won the Revolutionary War. On loan from MoAR, this painstakingly detailed, hand-sewn replica—made of custom woven linen and wool fabrics—was created as part of a collaboration between MoAR and Colonial Williamsburg. The Tent is staffed by MoAR educators, who lead visitors on an immersive tour through history.
On View A host of special installations and artifacts are on view at New-York Historical as part of Revolutionary Summer. One of the highlights is a recently discovered watercolor painting of the 1782 Continental Army encampment at Verplanck’s Point, New York—the only known eyewitness image of Washington’s Headquarters Tent during the Revolutionary War—on loan from MoAR. Other highlights include a camp cot used by Washington at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777; John Trumbull’s iconic painting of Washington that he gave to Martha Washington in 1790; and a pipe tomahawk gifted by Washington to Seneca Chief Sagoyewatha. Also on display is a diorama depicting the Verplanck’s Point encampment and the Hudson River shoreline, providing visitors with a 360-degree view of the scope and scale of Washington’s forces.
Revolutionary Summer also showcases historic documents from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, including an original 1823 William J. Stone facsimile of the Declaration of Independence; a broadside from King George III announcing the armistice and officially ending the war; and a letter by Martha Washington detailing domestic life in the aftermath of the Revolution.
Independence Day Celebration: Celebrate the Fourth of July exploring George Washington’s
encampment! Enter his Headquarters Tent, meet the man himself, and experience
where the future first president strategized, dined, and slept while MoAR staff
describe his daily life. Also on tap: singalongs with the Hudson River
Ramblers; fife and drum corps music; a one-woman play about Deborah Sampson,
the woman who disguised her gender to enlist in the Continental Army;
family-friendly food for purchase; and Living Historians portraying soldiers
from the Continental Army, as well as John Adams, who’ll read the Declaration
of Independence. Free Admission for kids age 17 and under.
Living History Weekends: Outdoor Continental Army Encampment: Every weekend, visitors of all ages can explore a recreation of
the Continental Army’s encampment in New-York Historical’s courtyard, located
on 76th Street, around the corner from Central Park West. Free with
Museum Admission.
George Washington’s Spies, Bodyguards, and Agents | July 6 & 7 Your top-secret mission: Enter George Washington’s encampment, meet with him and his spies, and decode your own message.
Join the Continental Army | July 13 & 14 | August 31 & September 1 | September 7 & 8 The Continental Army wants you! Explore their encampment tents and displays of 18th-century weaponry, participate in drills, and interact with all of the tools and equipment of a common soldier.
Everyday Life in Camp | July 20 & 21 Join the 3rd New Jersey Regiment to experience how soldiers and their families spent time in camp when they weren’t marching to war. Meet the women who helped prepare for military campaigns, play with 18th-century toys and games, and witness how soldiers passed the time.
Field Music on the March | July 27 & 28 March along to Revolutionary War field music performed by the drum and fife musicians of Hearts of Oak and the New Jersey Field Music Group.
Deborah Sampson, Fighting Woman | August 3 & 4 Meet Deborah Sampson—the woman who disguised her gender to enlist in the Continental Army—and members of her regiment, the 7th Massachusetts. Join Deborah for military drills and explore the inner workings of her regiment, from muskets to tents and knapsacks to ground cloths.
Fighting on Horseback | August 10 & 11 Saddle up! Get an up close look at the special equipment, weapons, and techniques used by cavalry in the Continental Army and meet the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons and the 4th Legion.
George Washington’s Encampment | August 17 & 18 | August 24 & 25 Enter George Washington’s Headquarters Tent and experience what life was like during the war—from meals to down time to battle preparations.
Metalsmithing in George Washington’s Encampment | September 14 & 15 Learn all about the crucial craft of metalsmithing as you tour George Washington’s encampment. Examine the smith’s tools and take a turn at shaping a bowl or a button.
What the History?
This millennial-focused series of fun events and programs explores fascinating Revolutionary topics while drinking and mingling!
Revolutionary Trivia Night! |Friday, July 12, 8 pm | Friday, August 23, 8 pm | $20 ($18 Members) Do you know what George Washington’s favorite breakfast beverage was? If you do (or even if you don’t), bring your friends for a fun night of trivia courtesy of the fact fanatics at Trivia, AD! Ages 21 and up. Wine included with ticket.
Revolutionary Drag Tea Party | Sunday, July 14, 3 pm | $25, includes Museum Admission Dress to impress in your best period-inspired drag and play Revolutionary War-era games, enjoy snacks and cocktails, and compete in categories like Most Revolutionary Outfit. Ages 21 and up. Drinks and snacks included with ticket.
Trans Identity and the Incredible Story of Deborah Sampson, Female Revolutionary War Hero | Wednesday, July 24, 6:30 pm | $20 ($18 Members) Explore the extraordinary, true story of Revolutionary War hero Deborah Sampson with Alex Myers, as he discusses his novel Revolutionary. Ages 21 and up. Wine included with ticket.
Nerdy Thursdays: Revolution Night | Thursday, August 8, 6:30 pm | Free with RSVP Swing by the Museum for this signature event from the Black Gotham Experience that brings together a DJ, gallery talks, cocktails, and a brilliant group of nerdy people. RSVP at blackgotham.com
Watson Adventures: Revolutionary Trail Scavenger Hunt | Friday, August 16, 6 pm | Free with Pay-as-you-wish Admission Explore the Museum’s Revolutionary Trail and solve a series of puzzles involving objects on display, led by Watson Adventures. Game lasts 45 minutes. Smartphone is needed to play.
For additional information about Revolutionary Summer and its related programs, visit nyhistory.org/revsummer.
Lead support for Revolutionary Summer provided by the Achelis and Bodman Foundation. Additional support provided by Richard Brown and Mary Jo Otsea. Support for the MoAR’s participation in Revolutionary Summer is generously provided by William and Candace Raveis. Exhibitions at New-York Historical are made possible by Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, the Saunders Trust for American History, the Seymour Neuman Endowed Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.The New-York Historical Society, one of America’s preeminent culturalinstitutions, is dedicated to fostering research and presenting history and art exhibitions and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded in 1804, New-York Historical has a mission to explore the richly layered history of New York City and State and the country, and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history.
The Museum of the American Revolution explores the dramatic, surprising story of the American Revolution through its unmatched collection of Revolutionary-era weapons, personal items, documents, and works of art. Immersive galleries, powerful theater experiences, and interactive digital elements bring to life the diverse array of people that created a new nation against incredible odds. Visitors gain a deeper appreciation for how this nation came to be and feel inspired to consider their role in the ongoing promise of the American Revolution. Located just steps away from Independence Hall, the Museum serves as a portal to the region’s many Revolutionary sites, sparking interest, providing context, and encouraging exploration. The Museum is a private, non-profit, and non-partisan organization. For more information, visit www.AmRevMuseum.org or call 877.740.1776.
With just days to go before closing for good on January 27, New-York Historical Society is extending its evening hours for people to see its blockbuster exhibit, Harry Potter: A History of Magic in its final week.
Because of the extraordinary popularity of the exhibit, the museum is staying open until 7 pm most weekdays and until midnight on Friday and Saturday of the final week. Advance booking of the timed-tickets is essential.
Visitors will also receive 10% discount for dinner at Storico, the restaurant within New-York Historical, when they present an exhibition ticket during the last week of its run.
The blockbuster British Library exhibition at New-York Historical Society captures the traditions of folklore and magic at the heart of the Harry Potter stories with manuscripts from J.K. Rowling’s personal archives, original illustrations from Harry Potter artists, costumes and set models from the award-winning play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and centuries-old books, manuscripts, and magical objects from the British Library, New-York Historical, and other museums.
“Harry Potter” is a must-see on so many levels. It isn’t just for fans of J.K. Rowling’s wildly popular series, providing amazing insights into her creative process through glimpses at original hand-written drafts and drawings. It also provides extraordinary insights into the history of magic – the centuries of folklore, myth and legend – that provided the foundation for her stories. You see the original documents and artifacts that Rowling drew on history and tradition (I thought it all came from her imagination, and did not realize everything, even the names she used, had a foundation in history. You also realize how magic and witchcraft actually provided the foundation of science and medicine.
Unique to New York Historical’s presentation—and on public view for the very first time—are Mary GrandPré’s pastel illustrations for the cover of Scholastic’s original editions of the novels; Brian Selznick’s newly created artwork for the covers of the 20th anniversary edition of the Harry Potter series published by Scholastic; cover art by Kazu Kibuishi featured in Scholastic’s 15th anniversary box set; and costumes and set models from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
We spent an entire day at the Historical Society. There are so many fascinating exhibits – some which are permanent, like a collection of Tiffany lamps and a room devoted to everyday objects of old New York that remind you of the Smithsonian, and some exhibits which are temporary and constantly change.
Brittney Cooper and Rebecca Traister Join Irin Carmon on January 23 to Examine Women’s Rage, Women’s Power
Here is more of what is happening at the New-York Historical Society:
EXHIBITIONS Billie Jean King: The Road to 75 LAST CHANCE: Now through January 27, 2019
Presented in honor of her 75th birthday, this exhibition celebrates Billie Jean King through more than 75 photographs depicting her remarkable life and career. A sports icon as well as a lifelong advocate for gender equality and social justice, King lobbied for and obtained equal prize money for women at the US Open in 1973. She is renowned for her celebrated win over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” match on September 20, 1973, and has won an incredible 39 Grand Slams.
Mort Gerberg Cartoons: A New Yorker’s Perspective COMING SOON: February 15 – May 5, 2019
Artist Mort Gerberg grew up with a pencil in his hand, creating cartoons from the time he was a young boy in his native Brooklyn. Illustrated with a sensitivity and humor that have made him beloved by his audiences, his work has been featured in major publications, including the New Yorker and Saturday Review. The 100 cartoons on view in this exhibition cover a range of topics, such as life in New York City, women, youth, old age, and politics.
Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow
Now through March 3, 2019 Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow explores the struggle for full citizenship and racial equality that unfolded in the 50 years after the Civil War. When slavery ended in 1865, a period of Reconstruction began, leading to such achievements as the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution. By 1868, all persons born in the United States were citizens and equal under the law. But efforts to create an interracial democracy were contested from the start. A harsh backlash ensued, ushering in a half century of the “separate but equal” age of Jim Crow. Opening to mark the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, the exhibition is organized chronologically from the end of the Civil War to the end of World War I and highlights the central role played by African Americans in advocating for their rights. It also examines the depth and breadth of opposition to black advancement. Art, artifacts, photographs, and media help visitors explore these transformative decades in American history and understand their continuing relevance today.
Meditations in an Emergency
Now through April 28, 2019
The New-York Historical Society’s first artist-in-residence, Bettina von Zwehl, presents new works inspired by her study of the Museum’s collection of American portrait miniatures and silhouettes, including profile drawings by Benjamin Tappan (1773–1857). The 17 silhouette portrait photographs of New York City teens—a silent memorial for those who lost their lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day 2018—serve as a catalyst to engage viewers with ideas of protest and teen activism. Based in London, von Zwehl is an internationally recognized fine art photographer whose work explores the form and practice of portraiture by drawing upon historical iconography as well as the traditions of painted portrait miniatures and cut-paper silhouettes. Her powerful and intimate photographs honor the past while expanding the boundaries of portraiture.
Betye Saar: Keepin’ It Clean Now through May 27, 2019 Contemporary artist Betye Saar has shaped the development of assemblage art in the United States, particularly as a device to illuminate social and political concerns. A key figure in the Black Arts Movement and the feminist art movement of the 1960–70s, Saar’s distinct vision harmonizes the personal and the political. Over the years, Saar has transformed the representation of African Americans in our culture by recycling and reclaiming derogatory images such as Aunt Jemimas, Uncle Toms, sambos, and mammies to confront the continued racism in American society and create representations of strength and perseverance. This exhibition focuses on one facet of her work—washboards—created between 1997 and 2017. Presented in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery, part of the Center for Women’s History, the exhibition is organized by the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles. Audubon’s Birds of America Ongoing
Visitors have the unique experience of viewing John James Audubon’s spectacular watercolor models for the 435 plates of The Birds of America (1827–38) with their corresponding plates from the double-elephant-folio series, engraved by Robert Havell Jr. Each month, the exhibition rotates to highlight new species—featured in the order they appear in Audubon’s publication—which showcase the artist’s creative process and his contributions to ornithological illustration. Other works from New-York Historical’s collection, the world’s largest repository of Auduboniana, illuminate Audubon’s process. January welcomes the Northern Parula, and in February, the Peregrine Falcon is on view. Accompanying the Peregrine Falcon is a photograph of Damien Mitchell’s mural located at 752 St. Nicholas Avenue inspired by Audubon’s watercolor.
Objects Tell Stories, the Gallery of Tiffany Lamps, and the Center for Women’s History on the Fourth Floor Ongoing Explore American history through stunning exhibitions and captivating interactive media on our transformed fourth floor. Themed displays in the North Gallery present a variety of topics—such as slavery, war, infrastructure, childhood, recreation, and 9/11—offering unexpected and surprising perspectives on collection highlights. Touchscreens and interactive kiosks allow visitors to explore American history and engage with objects like never before. As the centerpiece of the fourth floor, the Gallery of Tiffany Lamps features 100 illuminated Tiffany lampshades from our spectacular collection displayed within a dramatically lit jewel-like space. Within our new Center for Women’s History, visitors discover the hidden connections among exceptional and unknown women who left their mark on New York and the nation with the multimedia digital installation, Women’s Voices, and through rotating exhibitions in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery. Objects from the Billie Jean King Archive are also on view.
Collector’s Choice: Highlights from the Permanent Collection Ongoing Since 1804, the New-York Historical Society has been welcoming to its collection some of the most esteemed artworks of the modern world. Collector’s Choice: Highlights from the Permanent Collection showcases a selection of paintings that reflect the individual tastes of several New York City collectors who donated their holdings to New-York Historical. Joining Picasso’s Le Tricorne ballet curtain are featured American and European masterpieces spanning the 14th through the 21st centuries from Luman Reed, Thomas Jefferson Bryan, and Robert L. Stuart, including colonial portraits of children, marine and maritime subjects, and an installation showcasing recently collected contemporary works.
HARRY POTTER: A HISTORY OF MAGIC EXHIBITION-RELATED PROGRAMS The Epic Tale of Children’s Literature
Wednesday, January 16, 7 – 8:30 pm
$35 (Members $30) | Students $25
Harry Potter is one of the latest in a long line of great children’s literature characters. Journey through a colorful century of writing and illustrating for young people with Leonard Marcus, and see how the field has evolved from Madeline to Mo Willems, from the Hardy Boys to Harry Potter. Wine and cheese will be served. Ages 21 and up.
Sorcery Saturday
Saturday, January 19, 7:30–10:30 pm
$35 (Members $30) | Students $25
Join us for a spellbinding evening at the Museum! Enjoy magical cocktails, see costumes from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, examine magical artifacts from around the world, and try your hand at enchanting crafts and activities in our renowned Library. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. Ticket includes entry to Harry Potter: A History of Magic. Ages 21 and up.
The Harry Potter Effect
Wednesday, January 23, 7 – 8:30 pm
$35 (student $25)
Twenty years after the publication of the first book, the Harry Potter phenomenon still looms large in popular culture and our cultural consciousness. Join moderator Karen Ginman and a panel of journalists, editors, and booksellers as they explore how Harry and his friends have changed the landscape of children’s literature and how they continue to permeate different facets of everyday life. Wine and cheese will be served. Ages 21 and up.
$38 (Members $24)
In the decades following the American Revolution, the new nation was deeply divided. As countless enslaved people risked their lives to seek refuge in the free North, Congress struck a deal—the Compromise of 1850—to soothe the mounting tensions between Northerners who opposed slavery and Southerners who demanded the return of their human “property.” That tenuous balance finally collapsed with the eruption of the Civil War in 1861. Experts examine how fugitive slaves shaped the American story.
Wednesday, January 16, 7 pm
$38 (Members $24) | 35 and under $10
Confronted by one crisis after another, President George W. Bush struggled to defend the country and remake the world, serving during an era marked by the September 11th terror attacks, the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, and financial collapse. Join Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for the New York Times and a political analyst for MSNBC, and Douglas Brinkley, presidential historian for CNN and the New-York Historical Society, as they discuss the Bush presidency.
$15 | Free for Members of the Women’s History Council
In November, the Center for Women’s History opened Betye Saar: Keepin’ It Clean in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery amid a remarkable outpouring of black women’s creative labor in New York City. Meanwhile, also on view at New-York Historical, Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow tells many of the historical stories that Saar’s artwork interrogates. At the Brooklyn Museum, Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power features Saar’s work alongside that of her contemporaries in the Black Arts Movement. And at Columbia’s Wallach gallery, Posing Modernity: The Black Model from Manet to Matisse to Today explores the changing modes of representation of the black figure as central to the development of modern art. Join us as curators Ashley James (Brooklyn Museum), Dominique Jean-Louis (New-York Historical Society), and Denise Murrell (Columbia/Wallach) celebrate these riveting exhibitions—all currently on view in New York City—and highlight the connections and relationships between them. Refreshments will be served.
Sunday, January 20, 12:30 – 2 pm
$30 (Members $20) | Students $25
How did African Americans use fashion to fight for equality? Join us as Harvard professor Dr. Jonathan M. Square, founder of Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom, explores African American fashions as a radical form of self-determination on a special tour of our exhibition Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow. Afterwards, we’ll gather for discussion and he’ll lead a visual analysis of images and photographs of famous and more obscure African Americans who employed fashion not only to critique and counter ideologies that cast them as inferior, but also to stake a claim in larger political struggles for freedom and equity. Ticket includes Museum Admission, a bagel brunch, tour, and discussion.
Two of America’s most important feminist voices have written books grappling with the power of women’s anger. Brittney Cooper’s Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower and Rebecca Traister’s Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger take women’s fury seriously as a political response and force for change. They place women’s rage in historical context, and show how such anger has been trivialized or weaponized to undermine women. Join us for a lively conversation as Cooper and Traister discuss women’s anger with New York magazine senior correspondent and CNN contributor Irin Carmon. Refreshments will be served.
Winston Churchill easily had the best sense of humor of any British politician of his day—and perhaps any prime minister in history. He made regular, funny jokes at even the most perilous moments of his life and his country’s. Andrew Roberts, author of the new biography Churchill: Walking with Destiny, examines Churchill’s extraordinary wit and the political use to which he put it. From Wildean quips to English High Irony to ruthless ridicule, Churchill’s capacity to joke was a powerful weapon in his political armory.
In recent years, monuments commemorating the Confederacy have created enormous controversy. Hundreds of memorials honoring Confederate leaders such as General Robert E. Lee and President Jefferson Davis were constructed not immediately following the Civil War, but during the height of the Jim Crow era between the 1890s and 1950s. In the wake of the 2017 white nationalist march in Charlottesville, VA, experts ponder how memory and the ongoing battle for racial equality continue to shape modern America.
When the Cold War ended, many, including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, believed that democracy had triumphed politically once and for all. Yet nearly 30 years later, the direction of history no longer seems certain. Join one of the world’s most admired international leaders as she discusses the history and current resurgence of fascism, drawing on her experiences as a child in war-torn Europe and her distinguished career as a diplomat, uncovering the virulent threat it poses to international freedom, prosperity, and peace.
Saturday, February 2, 9 – 9:30 am: Registration and Continental Breakfast | 9:30 – 11 am: Program
$48 (Members $38)
Following a Friday night screening of The Story of Qiu Ju, legal scholars discuss the complicated nature of the rule of law—exploring how norms, culture, and community tradition are often pitted against or left unrecognized by formal legal doctrine and policy.
Esteemed foreign policy experts return for an update on the current state of global affairs from North Korea and Iran to the European Union. Join us for a conversation on where America stands among its allies and enemies in the world today.
Tuesday, February 5, 6:30 pm
$38 (Members $24) | 35 and under $10
Join leading legal scholars for a talk on the First Amendment—uncovering why the basic Constitutional right has been subject to so much controversy and misunderstanding as well as the continued vital importance of free speech today.
Coinciding with the 102nd anniversary of the sweeping, restrictive Immigration Act of 1917, legal scholars delve into the history of immigration law in the United States. Discover how constitutional interpretations of immigration law and policy have shaped the fabric of American society for generations and continue to spark heated political debate today.
Almost immediately following his assassination, Abraham Lincoln was transformed from the embattled wartime leader and the Great Emancipator into somewhat of an American saint. More than 150 years since his death, conservatives, liberals, and independents alike continue to find inspiration and guidance from the 16th president’s wisdom and steadfastness. Beginning with Lincoln’s funeral tour and the creation of Daniel Chester French’s memorial—a story ironically filled with incredible racism—up through the present day, Lincoln Prize winner Harold Holzer explores the iconic leader’s enduring presence within the American consciousness.
Martha S. Jones, Eric Foner, Wednesday, February 13, 6:30 pm, $38 (Members $24)
In conjunction with the exhibition Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow, historians uncover the history of how free African American activists fought for their status as citizens before the Civil War. Explore the constitutional challenges—including the U.S. Supreme Court case Dred Scott v. Sandford—and successes along the road to the passage of the 14th Amendment and expanded citizenship for all Americans. The Outbreak of World War II: 80 Years Later
John H. Maurer, Saturday, February 16, 9–9:30 am: Registration and Continental Breakfast | 9:30–11 am: Program, $48 (Members $38)
World War II stands out as the deadliest and perhaps most famous conflict in human history. But how did the War begin, and could the massive bloodshed have been avoided? In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the war’s outbreak, historian John Maurer revisits the origins of fighting in Europe in 1939 and illuminates how Western democracies came to confront Adolf Hitler and the threat of global fascism.
Yoram Hazony, Roger Hertog, Tuesday, February 19, 6:30 pm, $38 (Members $24)
What safeguards exist to protect liberty in our rapidly changing world? Reflecting on historic nationalist movements—from 16th-century Europe and America to the more recent “Brexit”—author Yoram Hazony discusses the role nationalistic ideals have played in bringing independence to people throughout history and how love of country can promote the virtues of personal and collective freedom.
Wednesday, February 20, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm, Free, but registration is required. RSVP to [email protected]
Harlem historian and Columbia University Community Scholar John Reddick brings Harlem to life with this riveting look at the neighborhood’s history and the pulsing creativity it nurtured at the dawn of the 20th century, crafting modern music and the American songbook as we know it. Through sheet music, recordings, and other documents, Reddick illustrates the cultural links between Harlem’s turn-of-the-century African American composers (James Reese Europe, H.T. Burleigh) and its Jewish composers (George Gershwin, Richard Rogers) and the back-and-forth influence they had on jazz and popular music. Join us to explore how African American and Jewish musicians expressed their outsider feelings in society through their art.
John A. Farrell, Douglas Brinkley, Thursday, February 21, 7 pm, $38 (Members $24) | 35 and under $10
John A. Farrell, who discovered the evidence that Richard Nixon interfered in President Johnson’s peace efforts in Vietnam during the 1968 presidential election, in conversation with Douglas Brinkley, discusses the life and career of a man who led America in a time of turmoil and left the country in a darker age.
Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Tuesday, February 26, 6:30 pm, $38 (Members $24) | 35 and under $10
In conjunction with New-York Historical Society’s exhibition Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow, Professor Khalil Gibran Muhammad discusses how the legacy of Jim Crow continues to reverberate throughout American society today and illuminates how much work is still left to be done on the path towards racial equality and civil rights for all.
Richard Brookhiser, Dale Gregory, Thursday, February 28, 6:30 pm, $38 (Members $24) | 35 and under $10 Join us for the final installment of our five-part series on Gouverneur Morris, Alexander Hamilton’s best friend. Learn how Morris spent his later years—falling in love with the sister-in-law of Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, a disgraced member of the prominent Randolph family—and follow him to the days after the infamous Hamilton-Burr duel, when he gave the eulogy at Hamilton’s funeral and established a fund for his fallen friend’s family.
JUSTICE IN FILM SERIES
This series explores how film has tackled social conflict, morality, and the perennial struggle between right and wrong. Entrance to the film series is included with Museum Admission during New-York Historical’s Pay-as-you-wish Friday Nights (6–8 pm). No advance reservations. Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 6 pm. The Story of Qiu Ju (1992)
Friday, February 1, 7 pm
In this Venice Film Festival Golden Lion award winner, Qiu Ju, a peasant woman living in rural China, travels to the big city in an effort to get justice for her husband after he is humiliated by a local community leader—and deals with the pitfalls of the justice system along the way. Directed by Zhang Yimou. Starring Gong Li, Liu Peiqi, Lei Kesheng. 100 min.
A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
Friday, February 8, 7 pm
Introduced by Thelma Schoonmaker, three-time Academy Award-winner and longtime editor for Martin Scorsese, this British post-war classic and special effects marvel of its time will be presented in a new restoration. After bomber pilot Peter Carter miraculously survives his plane crashing, he must defend his right to live against seemingly impossible odds. Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Starring David Niven, Kim Hunter, Robert Coote. 104 min.
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
A teenage girl bored with her humdrum life is thrilled when her sophisticated and worldly uncle comes to visit her quiet town, but she quickly realizes he’s brought with him much more than what initially meets the eye. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Starring Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, Macdonald Carey. 108 min.
People Will Talk (1951)
In this romantic comedy with echoes of the McCarthy era, a physician becomes embroiled in a witch hunt-like misconduct trial by a jealous rival who questions everything from his work methods to his personal relationships. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Starring Cary Grant, Jeanne Crain, Finlay Currie. 110 min.
Explore New York history and discover your own family’s history! Presented in partnership by the New-York Historical Society and the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, this exciting collaborative program invites you into the New-York Historical Society’s Museum and Library to dive into New York’s past while learning research skills to uncover your family history—all in one afternoon. The program includes a tour of extraordinary and everyday objects from New-York Historical’s collection, advice on how to conduct genealogical research in the special collections at the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library at New-York Historical, and tips on how to discover your family’s story from an expert at the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. This comprehensive experience is ideal for those who are just starting their own research.
Thursday, February 21, 6 pm – 7:30 pm, Purchase at nyadventureclub.com
On this behind-the-scenes tour, take an intimate and interactive journey through the conservation lab where staff preserve some of the most illuminating paper-based treasures in New-York Historical’s collection, primarily held within the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library. Witness firsthand how conservators prepare, treat, install, and de-install Library and Museum paper-based collections for exhibitions and loans, as well as stabilize large collections for storage and use. Try out conservation treatment techniques led by the conservation staff.
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West (at 77th Street), 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.
New York, NY –To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, the New-York Historical Society presents an exhibition of photographs and artifacts honoring these visionary leaders who irrevocably changed the United States. On view February 16 – May 20, 2018, Rebel Spirits: Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. showcases approximately 60 photographs and 30 documents and artifacts that uncover the relationship between these historic figures.
Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) and Robert F. Kennedy (November 20, 1925 –June 6, 1968) were born worlds apart—culturally, geographically, racially, financially, and politically—but by the time they were killed within months of each another in 1968, their worlds had come together. As their respective concerns expanded beyond civil rights and organized crime, their ties deepened to encompass shared interests in supporting the poor and opposing the war in Vietnam. This unprecedented exhibition explores the overlapping paths of their lives through images taken by some of the most renowned photojournalists of the era, including Bob Adelman, Danny Lyon, Henri Dauman, Jacques Lowe, Spider Martin, Steve Schapiro, Lawrence Schiller, and Paul Schutzer, alongside original correspondence, publications, and ephemera.
“The year 1968 rocked the nation in many ways, but it would be difficult to point to anything that shocked and sickened Americans more that year than the senseless and tragic deaths of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of the New-York Historical Society. “Fifty years later, the legacies of Kennedy and King still reverberate. This timely exhibition underscores the two men’s lasting impact on our nation while drawing attention to the ways in which their lives intersected. ”
Exhibition highlights include images of King and his son looking at the charred remains of a cross the Ku Klux Klan burned outside his Atlanta home in 1960, King’s mug shot after being indicted for the 1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott, and Kennedy being swarmed by an adoring crowd during his 1968 presidential campaign. Also on view are posters reading “Honor King: End Racism!” and “I Am a Man” that were carried in a Memphis march led by widow Coretta Scott King and her children on April 8, 1968, as well as a black and white “Kennedy/King” button worn by a New Yorker in memory of the two slain leaders. An adjunct display showcases the bronze sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr.―one of five existing casts created by Harlem Renaissance artist Charles Alston (1907– 1997), on loan from the Community Church of New York.
Rebel Spirits is based in part on The Promise and the Dream, written by David Margolick and produced by Lawrence Schiller for National Geographic Publishers. The exhibition was curated by Lawrence Schiller, Cristian Panaite, and Marilyn Kushner. It was produced by Wiener Schiller Productions, Inc. in association with Susan Bloom International with support from Getty Images, The Jacques Lowe Estate, and Steve Schapiro.
Lead support for Rebel Spirits was provided by provided by Leah and Michael R. Weisberg. Exhibitions at the New-York Historical Society are made possible by Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, the Saunders Trust for American History, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. WNET is a media sponsor.
Published by National Geographic and written by Vanity Fair contributing editor and New York Times writer David Margolick, The Promise and the Dream: The Interrupted Lives of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. features an introduction by historian Douglas Brinkley. The book will be available at the NYHistory Store.
Several public programs will provide further insights into the exhibition and its time period. On March 6, eminent legal experts survey the evolution of the U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretations of the 14th Amendment—in commemoration of its 150th anniversary—and civil rights throughout American history, highlighting landmark cases such as Brown v. Board of Education. On April 23, scholar Randall Kennedy discusses the Supreme Court and Martin Luther King Jr. On May 21, journalist Chris Matthews sits down to explore the rebel spirit of Robert Kennedy.
The New-York Historical Society, one of America’s preeminent cultural institutions, is dedicated to fostering research and presenting history and art exhibitions and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded in 1804, New-York Historical has a mission to explore the richly layered history of New York City and State and the country, and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history.
Admission: Adults: $21; Teachers and Seniors: $16; Students: $13; Children (5–13): $6; Children (4 and under): Free; Pay-as-you-wish Fridays from 6 pm – 8 pm.
The New-York Historical Society will host the only United States exhibition of a rare 1217 copy of the Magna Carta, Sept. 23-30, 2015, in honor of the 800th anniversary of i the original 1215 signing (c) The Dean and Chapter of Hereford Cathedral from the Library and Archive collections.
A rare early copy of the Magna Carta, one of the most important historical documents in the world, will be on display at the New-York Historical Society for just one week, September 23-30, the only United States appearance and the first stop in a global tour of the Magna Carta, to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the original signing, in 1215.
The document, a 1217 version of the Magna Carta on loan from the Hereford Cathedral, will be accompanied by the King’s Writ of 1215, also on loan from Hereford Cathedral, which is the only known surviving copy of instructions issued by John at Runnymede to local Sheriffs to prepare for the coming of the Charter.
The exhibition, “Magna Carta 800: Sharing the Legacy of Freedom,” at the New-York Historical Societyis the first stop in a global tour of the Magna Carta, in a partnership between Hereford Cathedral and the GREAT Britain Campaign, which will also pass through China (including Hong Kong), Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, and Singapore.
“The Magna Carta is a hugely important part of our history and stands as a beacon for our values today,” UK Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire said. “The tour is a fantastic way of enabling people from America to Asia to see it first hand, and to reflect on all that it stands for.”
“We are thrilled to offer New Yorkers a chance to experience the Magna Carta, one of the
most influential historical documents of all time, on the occasion of its 800th anniversary,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of the New-York Historical Society. “The Magna Carta established fundamental principles that inspired America’s Founding Fathers when they wrote the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, so this seminal document will allow our visitors to trace an important path of history back to its very origins.”
The document that became known as the Magna Carta, or “Great Charter,” was initially developed in 1215 and issued by King John as a peace treaty with rebel barons to address specific grievances of his rule. Although the treaty did not hold, the document established the principle that everyone, even the king, was subject to the law, with all free men granted the right to justice and a fair trial. As such, the document has enormous symbolic power, granting protection against tyrannical rule and defending civil liberties, a central source of inspiration for future constitutional documents.
On view with the Magna Carta at New-York Historical will be an original copy of the King’s Writ, issued on June 20, 1215, by King John to inform the sheriff and other royal officials in each county of the terms of the peace treaty. The 1215 treaty was modified and reissued in subsequent years, in part to garner support for King Henry III, who was just nine years old
when he succeeded the throne in 1216. The 1217 version, which will be on view at New-York Historical, was issued by John’s immediate successor,the young Henry III. and contains significant additions, which would be retained in subsequent reissues of the Charter by English monarchs. Only four copies of the 1217 version survive.
Copies of the Magna Carta have traveled to New York in the past, most notably for the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens, where it was displayed at the British Pavilion. In more recent years, copies of the document have been on view in New York and Washington, D.C., but this is the first time that the Hereford Cathedral copy has traveled to New York.
Follow the progress of the #MagnaCartaTour on Twitter @HFDMagnaCarta and Instagram. Information on Magna Carta and its 800th anniversary is available on the Magna Carta Committee’s website.
New-York Historical Society 170 Central Park West, New York, 10024, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.
Samuel Alschuler, a Jewish photographer lent Lincoln his own velvet-trimmed coat for this photo taken in Urbana, Illinois, on April 25, 1858, just as Lincoln would begin his Senate campaign against Stephen Douglas. Lincoln would again sit for Alschuler two years later, after he was elected president.
Marking the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, the New-York Historical Society is presenting the exhibition Lincoln and the Jews, on view through June 7, 2015.
Through several never-before-exhibited original writings by Lincoln and his Jewish contemporaries, the exhibition will bring to light Lincoln’s little-known relationship with the Jewish community and its lasting implications for Lincoln, for America, and for Jews.
The exhibition is inspired by the publication of Lincoln and the Jews: A History (Thomas Dunne Books, March 2015), by Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University, and Benjamin Shapell, founder of The Shapell Manuscript Foundation.
Lincoln and the Jews illustrates how America changed as its Jewish population surged from 3,000 to 150,000, and how Abraham Lincoln, more than any of his predecessors, changed America in order to accelerate acceptance of Jews as part of the mosaic of American life.
Showcasing more than 80 artifacts documenting the connection between Lincoln and Jews – including letters, official appointments, pardons, and personal notes, as well as Bibles, paintings and Judaica – Lincoln and the Jews traces the events in Lincoln’s life through the lens of his Jewish friends, such as his fellow lawyer and politician Abraham Jonas and his enigmatic chiropodist (podiatrist) and confidant Issachar Zacharie, as well as Lincoln’s profound interest in and connection to the Old Testament. The exhibition paints a portrait of a politician and president who worked for the inclusion of Jews as equals in America – a leader truly committed to “malice toward none.”
“With so many museum exhibitions focused on Lincoln, especially as we commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the obvious question that arises in the wake of announcing a new exhibition on Lincoln is, ‘Is there anything new to convey?’” stated Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of the New-York Historical Society. “Indeed, the story of Lincoln and the Jews will be unknown to most visitors, and even to those who know something of it, the treasure trove of evidence they will find in this show regarding Lincoln’s profound sense of human equality will offer much that is new.”
Presented in collaboration with the Shapell Manuscript Foundation, the exhibition is premiering at the New-York Historical Society before traveling to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Illinois. The exhibition is guest curated by Dr. Ann Meyerson, independent museum curator, under the leadership of Benjamin Shapell. Harold Holzer, the Roger Hertog Fellow at the New-York Historical Society and chairman of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation, serves as Chief Historical Advisor.
Exhibition Highlights
Visitors to Lincoln and the Jews move chronologically through Lincoln’s life, beginning with items and documents from before his presidential inauguration and ending with his untimely death in 1865.
Lincoln’s relationship with Abraham Jonas, a Jewish member of the Illinois State Legislature whom Lincoln called “one of my most valued friends,” will be explored in the show, with an 1860 letter on view from Jonas that warns of an assassination plot before Lincoln’s first inauguration, rumors of which Jonas learned from his extended family in the South. Also on display is the illustration of a Hebrew flag that Abraham Kohn, a leader of the Jewish community in Chicago, bestowed upon then-president-elect Lincoln shortly before his departure from Springfield for his inauguration in Washington. Quoting the Book of Joshua, it urged Lincoln to “Be strong and of a good courage… Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
Lincoln often took unpopular stands in defense of Jews and Judaism, and the exhibition explores Lincoln’s two most important wartime interactions with the Jewish community. One was his role in amending the chaplaincy law so that Jews and other non-Christians might serve as chaplains; he also appointed the first-ever Jewish military chaplains in the United States. The other was his countermanding of General Ulysses S. Grant’s notorious General Orders No. 11 that expelled “Jews as a class” from the territory then under his command. Lincoln had the order revoked as soon as he learned of it, explaining that he did “not like to hear a class or nationality condemned on account of a few sinners.” Lincoln also supported the promotion and decoration of Jewish Civil War soldiers. On view in the exhibition will be dueling pistols presented to the Civil War hero Edward S. Salomon by the Citizens of Cook County, Illinois in 1867. Salomon led the so-called “Jewish Company” from Illinois and was commended for his battlefield bravery, exhibited at the Battle of Gettysburg and beyond.
In 1862, just as he was preparing to deliver the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet, Lincoln was treated by podiatrist Issachar Zacharie, who soon became a close confidant. Lincoln entrusted Zacharie with several secret missions, even sending him to New Orleans to promote pro-Union sentiments among his Jewish “countrymen.” Zacharie also worked to win Jewish voters to Lincoln’s side in the 1864 election. In return, when Savannah was restored to the Union, he sought Lincoln’s permission to visit his family there. In a remarkable 1865 letter bluntly titled “About Jews,” which is on view in the exhibition, Lincoln instructed Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to grant passage for Zacharie. He also ordered a hearing for a dismissed Jewish provost marshall (head of the military police) whom, he wrote, “has suffered for us & served us well.” In an era when anti-Semitism was commonplace, Lincoln openly sided with these Jews, against the advice of his Secretary of War.
Special Programs
• Toward Appomattox: The Last Gasp (April 8): A discussion with renowned authors and historians William C. Davis, James M. McPherson, and Harold Holzer will assess both the high cost of war and the debatable cost of peace.
• Lincoln’s Last Speech: Wartime Reconstruction and the Crisis of Reunion (April 14): A talk by Louis P. Masur, author and Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University, will trace the evolution of Lincoln’s ideas and the debate over reconstruction policies during the war.
• Antebellum New York (May 19): Architectural historian Barry Lewis provides a look at the city in the decades leading up to the Civil War, as Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee knew it, before the country was plunged into war.
• Lincoln and the Jews (June 2): Celebrated historian Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University, discusses Lincoln’s remarkable relationship with American Jews and how it impacted his presidency, his policy decisions and, as a result, broadened America. Moderated by Harold Holzer.
The Shapell Manuscript Foundation is an independent educational organization dedicated to the collection and research of original manuscripts and historical documents. The Foundation’s focus is on the histories of the United States and the Holy Land, with emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection includes original manuscripts and documents of leading political figures and world-renowned individuals such as American presidents, Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, Theodor Herzl, and more. For more information, visit www.shapell.org.
The New-York Historical Society, one of America’s pre-eminent cultural institutions, is dedicated to fostering research and presenting history and art exhibitions and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded in 1804, New-York Historical has a mission to explore the richly layered history of New York City and State and the country, and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history.
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West (77th Street), New York, NY 10024, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.
