All of us can recall playing “follow the leader” as children. The notion of a leader exists in every society; it is an intrinsic human characteristic fundamental to group survival. Western cultures often assume that the leader is the most powerful individual at the head of a society. Western culture also teaches people to recognize…

Since its founding in 1804, New-York Historical has often collected around major events. But it wasn’t until 2001 and the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks that the History Responds collecting initiative was formed. The idea was simple: History was happening all around us, so our mission as a Museum and Library was to collect and preserve as much…

New-York Historical houses a vast collection of historic toys. It’s all fun and games, of course, but to us, it’s not just about kids’ play: We view toys as a unique, invaluable window onto how people of past decades lived, what they valued, and how they entertained themselves. It’s for this reason that we’re pleased…

Gracie Mansion has been the official residence of New York City’s mayor since the 1940s, but its history goes back much farther than that. It was named for Archibald Gracie, the wealthy merchant who built the house in 1799 as his private residence at what is now East End Ave. and East 88th St. New-York Historical has its…

As the COVID-19 crisis continues, perhaps it’s no surprise that alcohol sales are booming. With many of us confined to our homes (if we’re lucky), braving commutes to carry out essential work, or simply trying to figure out how to make a mask out of your last pair of clean underwear, there seems to be no…

What can history museums do during an epidemic? Like many institutions across the globe, the New-York Historical Society is temporarily closed to help contain the spread of COVID-19. And like so many New Yorkers, our curators and librarians are preoccupied with concern for their loved ones and grief over what’s happening in our beloved city….

When Ulysses Grant Dietz’s older brother gave him a wedding cake topper for Christmas in the early 2000s, he meant it mostly as a gag gift. Made of molded plastic, the topper features two tuxedo-clad men linking arms under a flower-bedecked bower. On the underside, it’s stamped with the words “Adam & Steve.” The topper’s…

No matter the occasion, flower deliveries always mean one thing: We’re thinking about you. On Tuesday, March 25, New-York Historical Society partnered with the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., to send museums a virtual #MuseumBouquet of flowers to brighten social media feeds and cheer up online audiences. Hundreds of cultural organizations—most of…

For over 50 years, Brooklyn native Jerry Greene and his wife Nina compiled one of the most remarkable collections of toys and trains ever assembled. In 2014, New-York Historical acquired a portion of their Jerni Collection with generous support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Richard Gilder, and an anonymous donor. This February marks yet another stop in…