John Bute Holmes, surveyor and polygamist.
To quote my colleague Susannah in her fascinating post from a few weeks ago, “Hints about long vanished and forgotten aspects of New York surround us if we know where … Continue reading
A visit to Sochi, 1939.
What do the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 1939 New York World’s Fair have in common? The promotion of Sochi, Russia as a tourist destination. As mentioned in a earlier … Continue reading
Myths surrounding the origin of the Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty, designed by Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904), was a gift from France as a symbol of American freedom, and has watched over New York Harbor since its dedication … Continue reading
Festivities of the Gilded Age “Season”
The morning after returning from visiting family for Thanksgiving, I awoke with the thought, “The ball season has again returned, and already the ‘busy hum of preparation’ for its festivities … Continue reading
“I have seen the future:” Norman Bel Geddes and the General Motors Futurama
Regular followers of this blog will recognize the button featured at the right from one of our earlier posts about the Museum’s New York World’s Fair collections. Visitors to the … Continue reading
Alfred E. Smith – the people’s politician?
This week, we have a guest post from one of the interns who worked with us over the summer, Karis Raeburn, who has since returned to Dayton, Ohio, where she … Continue reading
Relaxing with a summer cocktail – it wasn’t always so easy.
Just because this August has been cooler than usual (or perhaps it just seems that way after July’s heatwave), doesn’t mean those New Yorkers of legal drinking age are any … Continue reading
Conservation of the J. Clarence Davies Map Collection
The Museum is nearing the completion of the two-year National Endowment for the Humanities grant-funded project “Conserving, Digitizing, and Creating Access to the J. Clarence Davies Collection of Art.” Begun … Continue reading
Berenice Abbott and Elizabeth McCausland in a “Changing New York”
This week, we have a guest post from our fabulous archival intern, Suzanna Calev, who is currently obtaining a double Master’s Degree in Library Science with a concentration in Archives … Continue reading
New York City on Two Wheels
May is National Bicycle Month and is recognized by various local and national bicycle and transportation advocacy groups such as New York’s Transportation Alternatives and the League of American Bicyclists. … Continue reading
Dollar Princesses, or how the American heiress saved Downton Abbey and other estates like it
Perhaps it goes without saying that among the Collections crew here at the Museum there are a number of huge fans of the Masterpiece Classic series Downton Abbey. In the … Continue reading
The Political Campaign
In honor of the 57th inauguration of the President of the United States, I decided to take a look at how campaigning for political office and the democratic process is … Continue reading
Remembering the New York World’s Fair of 1939
“Designing Tomorrow: America’s World Fairs of the 1930’s” opened at the Museum of the City of New York December 5, featuring a core traveling exhibition organized by the National Building … Continue reading
MCNY Blog: New York Stories 