For the first time in more than 20 years, the New-York Historical Society displays the “Declaration of Dependence,” a petition signed in 1776 by New Yorkers loyal to the British crown. The petition will be on view for a limited time, alongside a rare original printing of the Declaration of Independence, also from New-York Historical’s collection.
In an installation entitled Our History of Discord, together these documents reveal the contentious history behind our nation’s founding.
Also, on the Fourth of July, kids under 17 can visit the Museum for free and meet historical interpreters recreating life in New York City in 1776.
“Division in our political views is not a recent phenomenon, and as our nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026 fast approaches, it’s helpful to examine the great divisions we have overcome,” said Louise Mirrer, president and CEO, New-York Historical. “These rare documents on view—offering viewpoints of those loyal to the King and those eager to be rid of him—can help us better understand the role everyday Americans play in the struggle for democracy, including those who have been excluded from it.”
Our History of Discord
Limited Time Only! July 2 – 7, 2024
Just in time for the Fourth of July, get a fascinating look at two essential documents that demonstrate just how tumultuous the birth of the United States really was: a rare New York printing of the Declaration of Independence and a one-of-a-kind “declaration of dependence,” a petition from hundreds of Loyalist New Yorkers pledging their allegiance “to our Sovereign, against the strong tide of oppression and tyranny” at the end of November 1776.
The documents are displayed alongside the Johannes Adam Simon Oertel painting that depicts the night a statue of King George III at Bowling Green was pulled down by a rowdy crowd of revolutionaries on July 9, 1776, after the Declaration of Independence was first read aloud to the troops. Also on view: a surviving piece of that very statue, which has been in the New-York Historical collection since the late 1800s. Curated by Nina Nazionale, director of library curatorial affairs and research at the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library
Independence Day Celebration
Thursday, July 4, 11 am – 5 pm | Free with Museum admission; free admission for ages 17 and younger
Celebrate Independence Day at New-York Historical with humble street food and posh ice cream flavors that would have been familiar to New Yorkers of 1776! Meet historical interpreters to learn the fascinating stories of vendors who sold their wares in the streets and chef Hercules Posey, an enslaved cook of George Washington who self-emancipated in 1796. After sampling foods of the Revolutionary Era, make family memories together with games, crafts, a dress-up photo booth, and more.
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West (77th Street), New York, NY 10024, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.
(New York, NY)— This fall, the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will present an enriching line-up of in-person and virtual events, including virtual walking tours of historic Jewish sites, launches for four upcoming books about the Holocaust, and a twentieth anniversary 9/11 tribute concert with the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra.
“This fall, we’re excited to present an array of programming that will allow our visitors to explore, learn, be entertained, and remember together,” says Museum President & CEO Jack Kliger. “Whether you join us virtually or in-person in our newly renovated Edmond J. Safra Hall, we look forward to offering programs that take you to another place and time and leave you with a new or deeper understanding of Jewish heritage and the Holocaust.”
All in-person events will also be livestreamed and available virtually for audiences around the world.
Fall Highlights include:
Virtual walking tours that highlight the Jewish history and neighborhoods of major European cities such as Budapest, Berlin, and Amsterdam (September 1 – October 17)
Book launches for four new nonfiction books that explore Holocaust history: “All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days,” “ We Share the Same Sky: A Memoir of Memory & Migration,” “Into the Forest: A Holocaust Story of Survival, Triumph, and Love,” and “What They Didn’t Burn: Uncovering My Father’s Holocaust Secrets” (August 31 – October 5)
A special 9/11 tribute concert with the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestraon the 20th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks (September 11)
For more information and a full calendar of events, visit the Museum’s events page:
https://mjhnyc.org/current-events/
During in-person events, the Museum’s LOX at Café Bergson will be open for brunch, lunch, and
dinner, serving its Museum-made smoked salmon and other kosher delicacies.
Mildred Harnack was an American activist who witnessed the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany and joined what would become the largest underground resistance group in Berlin as the only American in the leadership of the German resistance. She recruited working-class Germans into the resistance, helped Jews escape, plotted acts of sabotage, and collaborated in writing leaflets that denounced Hitler and called for revolution. When the first shots of the Second World War were fired, she became a spy, couriering top-secret intelligence to the Allies. Harnack would eventually get captured and was sentenced to execution by Hitler and was beheaded.
Join the Museum and Our Travel Circle to discover the vibrant history and culture of Jewish Budapest. On this live, virtual walking tour, tour guide Adam will bring visitors through the heart of the historic Jewish quarter of Pest—one of Budapest city center’s most intriguing areas.
“We Share the Same Sky: A Memoir of Memory & Migration” documents Rachael Cerrotti’s decade-long journey to retrace her grandmother’s Holocaust survival story. The new memoir, scheduled for release in August 2021, explores the pursuit of memory and how the retelling of family stories becomes the history itself.
Join the Museum and Descendants of Holocaust Survivors (2G Greater New York)for a program celebrating the launch of We Share the Same Sky. Cerrotti, who is an award-winning photographer, writer, educator, and audio producer and the inaugural Storyteller in Residence for the USC Shoah Foundation, will be in conversation with Ellen Bachner Greenberg, co-founder of Descendants of Holocaust Survivors.
Remembrance, Reflection, Resilience: A 9/11 Tribute Concert
The Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra present a special concert to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001. Interspersed with readings of remembrance and reflection, the concert will feature Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” the world premiere of Gary S. Fagin’s “9/11 In Memoriam,” Edward Kennedy (Duke) Ellington’s “Come Sunday” featuring the KCO’s Orlando Wells on violin, and other music of uplift and inspiration.
Join the Museum and Our Travel Circle for a live, virtual walking tour in the beautiful coastal city of Porto, Portugal.
Jews have lived in Porto since the 12th century, and the city’s Jewish population was an active part of its business and civic community in medieval times—until the Inquisition forced many into conversion or expulsion.
With our guide Sara, the walking tour will explore some of the old neighborhoods of the ancient Portuguese Sephardic Jews, turned into the boroughs of converted “New Christians.” We’ll also learn the exciting story of the rejuvenation of Porto’s Jewish community during the last century.
In the summer of 1942, the Rabinowitz family narrowly escaped the Nazi ghetto in their Polish town by fleeing to the forbidding Bialowieza Forest. They miraculously survived two years in the woods―through brutal winters, Typhus outbreaks, and merciless Nazi raids―until they were liberated by the Red Army in 1944.
During the first ghetto massacre, Miriam Rabinowitz rescued a young boy named Philip by pretending he was her son. Nearly a decade later, a chance encounter at a wedding in Brooklyn would lead Philip to find the woman who saved him. And to discover her daughter Ruth was the love of his life.
Join the Museum for a program celebrating the launch of Into the Forest with Frankel and David Rothkopf, host of the Deep State Radio podcast and CEO of The Rothkopf Group.
Dr. Rene David Alkalay was born in March 1941 in Zagreb, the capital of the former Yugoslavia (now Croatia). When Dr. Alkalay was just a few weeks old, Croatia became a puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, and his father and paternal relatives were imprisoned in a concentration camp run by the country’s new Ustaša regime. Later that year, Dr. Alkalay, his mother, and his maternal relatives were imprisoned in other Ustaša-run concentration camps, where they remained for two years.
After the camp was liberated, Dr. Alkalay hid in the forest with partisan groups for a year and then was airlifted out of Yugoslavia to a Displaced Persons camp in Italy. He spent four years after the war at a Catholic school in Rome, unaware of his true religious identity.
In 1950, Dr. Alkalay and his family emigrated to the United States, where he later became a psychotherapist, nutritionist, and pastoral counselor. Join the Museum for a program exploring Dr. Alkalay’s story of survival in Croatia.
In December 1938, Dutch social worker Truus Wijsmuller was invited to a meeting with Nazi official Adolf Eichmann regarding the transportation of Jewish children out of Nazi territory. With Eichmann’s permission, she quickly organized 600 Jewish children in Vienna and helped transport them to safety in England and the Netherlands. She then continued organizing transports for the next 18 months, becoming a central figure in the rescue network known as the Kindertransport. In total, the Kindertransport saved the lives of approximately 10,000 children.
Join the Museum and the Netherlands’ diplomatic network in the US for a virtual screening and discussion of Truus’ Children, a new film from Dutch filmmakers Pamela Sturhoofd and Jessica van Tijn exploring Wijsmuller’s remarkable legacy. As it tells Wijsmuller’s story, the film also probes the question of why Wijsmuller has been largely forgotten in the 75 years since the World War II.
This program will feature an exclusive panel discussion with Sturhoofd, van Tijn, and Ilse Bauer-Langsdorf, one of the children saved by Truus Wijsmuller. The discussion will be moderated by Michael Simonson, Head of Public Outreach and Archivist at the Leo Baeck Institute.
Since the first Superman comic was published in 1938, there has been a persistent fascination with superheroes. Today, we see them everywhere: television, movies, comics, toys, and anywhere else one can think of. Jews have played an important role in superhero culture, both as characters and creators.
Join the Museum for a program exploring Jewish superheroes with comic book writer Marguerite Bennett (DC Bombshells) and editor Danny Fingeroth (Marvel’s Spiderman Comics Line). They will be in conversation with journalist Abraham Riesman, author of True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee.
Powerhouse Jewish Women: Isle of Kiezbos & Stephanie Lynne Mason in Concert
Sunday, October 3, 2021 | 3:00 P.M.
Edmond J. Safra Hall (In-Person Event)
Celebrate Jewish women’s music at this energetic Isle of Klezbos concert, held live in the Museum’s Edmond J. Safra Hall.
This soulful, fun-loving powerhouse all-women’s klezmer sextet has toured from Vienna to Vancouver since 1998. The band, led by drummer Eve Sicular, approaches tradition with irreverence and respect and is known for its tight yet adventurous sound, lush arrangements, luscious compositions, and solos that swing the Yiddish stratosphere. The band also includes Pam Fleming on trumpet,Reut Regev on trombone, Melissa Fogarty on vocals, Shoko Nagai on accordion and piano, and Saskia Lane on double bass.
Isle of Klezbos will be opened by Broadway actress and singer Stephanie Lynne Mason, known for her leading roles in Fiddler on the Roof and Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, accompanied by Bob Marks on piano.
Growing up, author Mel Laytner saw his father as a quintessential Type B: passive and conventional. As he uncovered documents the Nazis didn’t burn, however, another man emerged—a black market ringleader and wily camp survivor who made his own luck. The tattered papers also shed light on painful secrets his father took to his grave.
Melding the intimacy of personal memoir with the rigors of investigative journalism, “What They Didn’t Burn: Uncovering My Father’s Holocaust Secrets” is a heartwarming, inspiring story of resilience and redemption. A story of how desperate survivors turned hopeful refugees rebuilt their shattered lives in America, all the while struggling with the lingering trauma that has impacted their children to this day.
Join the Museum for a conversation with Laytner and Jane Eisner, Director of Academic Affairs at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University and former editor-in-chief of The Forward, about “What They Didn’t Burn.”
Join the Museum and Our Travel Circle for this live, virtual walking tour of one of Berlin’s oldest neighborhoods. There will be an exploration of areas where Berlin’s Jewish community once flourished and explore how its tragic history is being memorialized today.
Led by tour guide Martin, the tour will begin at the Jewish Boy’s School, then head to the oldest Jewish cemetery in Berlin and the neighboring location of the Jewish retirement home. All three sites were seized by the Nazis. There will also be stops at the haunting memorial sculptures by German artist Will Lammert, the New Synagogue built in 1866, and Museum Island—a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of the city.
Introduction to the Holocaust
Thursday, October 7 – November 4, 2021 | 5:00 P.M. ET
Join the Museum for a virtual adult education course offering an introduction to the Holocaust. The five-part course will meet weekly on Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:30 PM ET. Each class will include a full lecture followed by student Q&A.
The first four sessions will be led by Dr. Avinoam Patt, the Doris and Simon Konover Chair of Judaic Studies and Director of the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Patt is a former research scholar at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and has published extensively about Jewish life in Europe before, during, and after the Holocaust.
The fifth session will feature Maritza Shelley, a Holocaust survivor from Budapest, Hungary. Shelley survived forced labor and a Nazi death march when she was a teenager. Along with her mother and sister, she eventually escaped, obtained false papers, and hitchhiked back to Budapest with a convoy of Nazis. Shelley emigrated to New York City in 1947.
“Wallenberg,” an epic new musical with book and lyrics by the 2006 Kleban Award-winning team of Laurence Holzman and Felicia Needleman and music by Benjamin Rosenbluth, brings the incredible true story of Raoul Wallenberg, one of the greatest unsung heroes of the 20th century, vividly to life.
In July 1944, the 32-year-old Wallenberg, a businessman from Stockholm, left the safety of neutral Sweden on an American-sponsored mission to Nazi-occupied Hungary. Between face-offs with the notorious Adolf Eichmann and secret dealings with the wife of one of Hungary’s most prominent fascist leaders, Wallenberg saved over 100,000 lives—more than were rescued by any other individual during the Holocaust.
Join the Museum for an evening with the creators and actors behind “Wallenberg,” who will explore the Wallenberg story and perform a set of exhilarating and richly melodic songs from the musical’s score.
Join the Museum and Our Travel Circle for a virtual stroll through Odessa’s old town and uncover the story of Odessa’s Jewish community.
Tour guide, Olga, will be live on the streets of Odessa sharing her city’s rich Jewish heritage. She’ll showcase sites from the golden age of the city’s Jewish community, focusing on the time from the city’s founding through the 1860s and exploring the identities and motivations of Odessa’s early Jewish settlers.
Attendees will see the Brodsky Synagogue, talk about the powerful Ephrussi family, follow in the footsteps of the prominent Jewish revolutionary Ze’ev Jabotinsky, and see the beautiful mansions that were once home to Jewish merchants in the early 1800s.
Join the Museum and Our Travel Circle to travel back in time to learn about Amsterdam’s Jewish history on this live, virtual walking tour with tour guide Stephan.
Stephan will explore the city’s historic Jewish Quarter, explaining how Amsterdam became a safe haven for Jews fleeing southern and eastern Europe starting in the 16th century, and why 10% of its population was Jewish at the onset of the Holocaust.
The tour will include stops at the two Amsterdam synagogues and its famed Jewish memorial. Attendees will also see the city’s oldest park, the Hortus Botanicus—a botanical garden established in 1638—and Steohan’s favorite street in Amsterdam. Discover history through a walk along the canals.
Join the Museum and Our Travel Circle to explore the historic Jewish community of Prague, in the Czech Republic.
On this live, virtual walking tour, attendees will learn the history of the Jewish community in Bohemia since the 10th century with our guide Nikola. They will visit several synagogues: the Maisel Synagogue, the Pinkas Synagogue, and the Old New Synagogue—Europe’s oldest synagogue still in use.
The tour will explore the impact of World War II and the German annexation of Czechoslovakia through the Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) and the Terezin Ghetto. Learn the story of Nicholas Winton, the British businessman who saved 669 children with his rescue mission. And finally, attendees will hear the story of the American ambassador’s residence in Prague—the spectacular Petschka Palace.
Love in Wartime
Thursday, November 4, 2021 | 7:00 P.M. ET
(Virtual Event)
Love stories during the Holocaust are as inspiring as they are remarkable. In photographer Max Hirshfeld’s new book Sweet Noise: Love in Wartime, he offers an intimate look at one of these stories through powerful photographs, a series of emotional love letters between his parents, and the narrative of a son’s pilgrimage exploring his origins.
Join the Museum for a program exploring Hirshfeld’s work with the photographer and Jacqueline Kott-Wolle, a fellow artist and daughter of Holocaust survivors. Hirshfeld and Kott-Wolle will explore different forms of love, expression, and the idea that Jewish trauma and hardship did not end after the war.
The Light and Legacy of Rachel Cowan
Thursday, November 4, 2021 | 6:45 P.M.
(In-Person Event)
Rachel Cowan was a civil rights activist, community organizer, the first female Jew by choice ordained as a Rabbi, and a beloved and influential mindfulness teacher. After she was diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer, her years of mindfulness practice enabled her to model living well while dying. Join the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, and presenting partners B’nai Jeshurun and the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, for an evening celebrating the remarkable light and legacy of Rachel’s life.
The program will feature a screening of Dying Doesn’t Feel Like What I’m Doing, a new film about Cowan from American-born, Jerusalem-based documentary filmmaker Paula Weiman-Kelman. The film will be followed by a panel discussion with Weiman-Kelman, Khary Lazarre-White, Executive Director & Co-Founder of the Brotherhood Sister Sol, and Jeannie Blaustein, Founding Board Chair at Reimagine End of Life. The discussion will be moderated by Rabbi Marc Margolius, Senior Program Director at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is New York’s contribution to the global responsibility to never forget. The Museum is committed to the crucial mission of educating diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust. The third largest Holocaust museum in the world and the second largest in North America, the Museum of Jewish Heritage anchors the southernmost tip of Manhattan, completing the cultural and educational landscape it shares with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage maintains a collection of almost 40,000 artifacts, photographs, documentary films, and survivor testimonies and contains classrooms, a 375-seat theater (Edmond J. Safra Hall), special exhibition galleries, a resource center for educators, and a memorial art installation, Garden of Stones, designed by internationally acclaimed sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. The Museum is the home of National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene.
The Museum receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.
The Museum is closed on Saturdays, Jewish holidays, and Thanksgiving.
Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, 36 Battery Place, New York City, 646-437-4202, mjhnyc.org.
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.
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.
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.
