Behind The Scenes

This week we sat down with Dean and Associate Professor of Art History at The New School Laura Auricchio who recently published a groundbreaking biography on the French Founding Father, The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered. Her book traces the French aristocrat’s life, from his tumultuous childhood overshadowed by the untimely death of his father through his…

What made the 1900s The Hirschfeld Century? We sat down this week with Creative Director of The Al Hirschfeld Foundation David Leopold to get the inside scoop. In addition to being Hirschfeld’s close personal friend and archivist, Leopold curated New-York Historical’s upcoming show The Hirschfeld Century: The Art of Al Hirschfeld opening May 22. Our…

Did you know that some Brooklynites fought for both sides during the American Revolution? When revolutionary rhetoric adopted an anti-slavery tone, Kings County residents renounced the “Glorious Cause” and sided the British in hopes of preserving their forced labor system. This week New-York Historical’s Bernard and Irene Schwartz Fellow Chris Minty is our guest blogger. In his…

This week we sat down with New-York Historical’s Senior Director of Resources and Programs Jean Ashton to discuss her book, AIDS in New York: The First Five Years. The book shares its name with the 2013 N-HYS exhibition that Ashton curated. To learn more about the epidemic in NYC, check out our online exhibition. How…

Independent scholar Claire Bellerjeau made a miraculous discovery in the New-York Historical Society’s collections; she uncovered an unpublished poem likely written by Jupiter Hammon, the first published African American author in America. Hammon, who lived his entire life as an enslaved person, had four poems and three essays published in his lifetime. This sixth poem…

Currently on display at New-York Historical is the final installment of the three-year series featuring all of John James Audubon’s original watercolor models for The Birds of America. Because of their fragility, this is your last chance to catch these stunning works. So don’t miss out—come see Audubon’s Aviary: The Final Flight and perch with…

Did you know that more than twice as many books have been written about Abraham Lincoln than weeks have passed since his death almost 150 years ago? With Passover beginning at sundown, we’re honoring Lincoln’s legacy by exploring an untold aspect of his personal life and political career: his friendships with Jews. During his tenure…

To celebrate the opening of our newest special installation Nature Illuminated: A Tiffany Gallery Preview, the exhibition’s curator who is also the Curator of Decorative Arts here at New-York Historical, Margaret K. Hofer, has signed on as this week’s guest blogger. Her post continues this month’s theme of New York women’s history and illuminates the…

“Write right from left to the right as you see it spelled here.” Did you print your answer? If so, you got it wrong—it should have been written in cursive. “Spell backwards, forwards.” Did you include a comma? Wrong. Did you omit the comma? That’s wrong, too. These are only two of the 30 questions…