The Crown Jewel of Brooklyn – Prospect Park
What is it I associate so keenly with the summer smell and sensual keenness of Prospect Park? – Alfred Kazin[1] The construction of Central Park prompted the city of Brooklyn … Continue reading
Can you hear me now?
Most of us hardly think about the technical logistics of communication these days. With the touch of a few buttons we can send an email or text message, or pick … Continue reading
Hygienic whiskey and little nerve pills: The rise of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising
Before the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, the manufacture and sale of so-called “medicine” in the United States was unregulated. This wild west atmosphere enabled … Continue reading
Celestial Sphere, Color Movies, Gardens on Parade!
Help the Museum digitize its 1939-1940 New York World’s Fair Collection! The Museum’s New York World’s Fair collections continue to be a major resource for researchers all over the globe, … Continue reading
Brides and Debutantes: White Dresses all Around
The start of summer brings with it the beginning of wedding season. As a bride-to-be myself, I couldn’t help but take a closer look at the numerous wedding invitations that … Continue reading
Company Songs
While cataloging ephemera under the National Endowment for Humanities grant, I couldn’t help but notice how many companies, clubs, societies, and associations had songs written and printed for special occasions. … Continue reading
Bringing the American Civil War to high school students
This spring the Collections Department has been collaborating with our colleagues in the Frederick A.O. Schwarz Center to use archival material to support education programming. The City Museum developed Surpass! a … Continue reading
Vandamm Studio
27 years. Over 2,000 Broadway productions. Countless negatives of every conceivable actor who graced the New York stage. Saying that the Vandamm Studio was the photograph studio for Broadway would … Continue reading
Members only: Private clubs in New York City
Clubs have been a part of New York City for centuries. How else are you expected to find like-minded people in such a bustling metropolis? In the early 19th century, the … Continue reading
Unidentified: Lingering mysteries in the Theater Collection
Since fall of 2013, the City Museum has been involved in a large scale digitization project to digitally capture and describe over 30,000 images of theatrical production. It gives me … Continue reading
The Civilian War Effort in New York City During World War I and World War II
This week, we have a guest post from one of our Collections interns, Emily Arbuckle. Emily is completing her Masters Degree in Information and Library Science and Archives Certificate at … Continue reading
The origins of dining out in New York City
The holiday season is upon us, bringing with it numerous opportunities for eating and visiting restaurants. As we prepare the City Museum’s ephemera collections for digitization as part of a … Continue reading
Visiting New York City’s Hotels
The holidays are prime tourist season in New York City – we’re coming up on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade next week, department stores are mounting their holiday window displays, … Continue reading
MCNY Blog: New York Stories 