Frequently Asked Questions for Rights & Reproductions
We receive many inquiries at the Museum of the City of New York regarding rights and reproductions for objects in our collections. Below are some frequently asked questions and responses. … Continue reading
Frequently Asked Questions for the Collections Department
We receive many reference inquiries here at the Museum of the City of New York, primarily through our research email (research@mcny.org). The Museum makes every effort to answer questions directly … Continue reading
In Honor of Christopher Gray, Chronicler of the Streetscape
While many New Yorkers had their eyes turned toward what was predicted to be a historic snowstorm late Monday evening, the New York Times shared the sad news that Christopher … Continue reading
Minnie Fisher, Immigrant and Labor Activist
The Museum completed processing our Pamphlet Collection over the past summer and shared the finding aid online with funds from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and has now completed item … Continue reading
The Space is the Place; the Museum’s Collection on Theaters
With Archtober – New York City’s annual Architecture and Design Month – almost upon us, it has got my theater archivist’s mind turning to the city’s history of theater buildings. So this week I offer … Continue reading
How a Colonial Relic Became a Civil War Memento: Tracing Object History in the Silver Collection
Over the course of digitizing the Museum’s silver collection, we’ve come across many objects with storied histories, but not many can weave a historical path through our collection with the … Continue reading
The short, sad story of actress Clara Bloodgood
On the evening of December 5, 1907, respected actress and society woman Clara Bloodgood fatally shot herself in a Baltimore hotel room. She was in town to star as the … Continue reading
Ice Skating
Nobody is certain when humans first began ice skating, but it is believed that they did so at least a few thousand years ago. The first skates were sharp pieces … Continue reading
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
Hot Dog!
The origin of the hot dog has long been contested and has even been a source of tension in American history. In 1913, for example, Mayor Reginald S. Bennett called … Continue reading
From Dazzling to Dirty and Back Again: A Brief History of Times Square
Originally known as Long Acre (also Longacre) Square after London’s carriage district, Times Square served as the early site for William H. Vanderbilt’s American Horse Exchange. In the late 1880s, Long … Continue reading
Studio 54: Behind the velvet rope
Studio 54 opened on April 26, 1977, at 254 West 54th Street. The space initially served as a home to the Gallo Opera House (pictured to the left), which opened … Continue reading
Rufus King: Early New York, lawyer, diplomat and statesman
If you have found yourself wandering around the neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens, anytime in the last two centuries, you’ve possibly happened upon a farmhouse, situated between 89th Avenue, 150th street, … Continue reading
MCNY Blog: New York Stories 