Lunatics, Inmates, and Homeowners: The History of Roosevelt Island
The nurses plunged her into an ice-cold bath, pulled her out sopping wet, and threw a sheer flannel slip over her head. Large black letters spelled “Lunatic Asylum, B.I., H. … 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
Photographing Fragments of New York City’s Past
Archaeological collections preserve a rich record of places and objects. In New York City, the recently opened Archaeological Repository holds a labyrinthine collection of more than 350,000 objects, including material … Continue reading
But it’s broken: What can we learn from very small things?
Although most curators and museum- goers engage with objects that are largely intact, archaeologists commonly work with fragments. In New York City, excavators may find a mix of intact and fragmented artifacts, … 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
Using the Museum’s Collections to Teach Photography
The Photography Collection at the Museum of the City of New York is an incredible resource for anyone interested in photography, architecture, social history, New York City, and any number … Continue reading
Spring Exhibition Preview: Saving Place
An exhibition like Saving Place: 50 Years of New York City Landmarks is not only the kind of thought-provoking show the Museum of the City of New York is adept … Continue reading
Beyond Digital: The Photographs of Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao
At the turn of the 20th century Kodak famously marketed their easy to-use-cameras with the slogan, “You press the button, we do the rest.” Today, digital cameras have made it … Continue reading
Buffalo Bill’s New York
Running up and down Brooklyn’s Seventh Avenue in 1894, little boys snatched their mothers’ clotheslines, fashioning them into lassoes to rope their younger sisters [1]. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show was … Continue reading
Martin Wong’s papers: a deeper look at the graffiti art collector
This week, we feature a post from one of our Collections Interns, Houda Lazrak. As shared in a post from earlier this year, artist and collector Martin Wong donated his … 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
Adolph Green: The boy from the Bronx makes good
Last Tuesday, December 2, 2014, marked the 100th birthday of Adolph Green, writer and lyricist. With his creative partner Betty Comden, Green composed lyrics for over 200 songs, wrote ten … Continue reading
MCNY Blog: New York Stories 