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 Great Crystal Palace Fire of 1858
The New York Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and steel structure completed in 1853 on the site of current day Bryant Park, located between 42nd and 40th streets to the … Continue reading
The Beecher-Tilton Affair
What do women’s rights, religion, and sex all have in common? The Beecher – Tilton Affair. Henry Ward Beecher was the first minister of the Plymouth Church, in Brooklyn, appointed … Continue reading
The Beach Pneumatic Transit Company – just a bunch of hot air?
My alarm didn’t go off this morning, meaning I overslept and I did not have enough time to ride my bicycle into work as I often do, and instead would … Continue reading
WAY Back to School
It’s that time of the year again. As Labor Day rolls around, students of all ages and in all phases of their education start anticipating – and in some … Continue reading
Novelty, Simplicity, Buoyancy, and Pliancy
Novelty, simplicity, buoyancy, and pliancy – aren’t these all features we seek in every aspect of our day-to-day life? Helen Traphagen certainly felt these attributes were important when she set … Continue reading
The Prospect Park Concert Grove
As mentioned in May 22nd’s post, Saving the Interior of the Plaza Hotel, New York City isn’t known just for its landmarked buildings, but also its scenic historical sites, as … Continue reading
Mott Haven Historic District
The neighborhood of Mott Haven is located in the South Bronx, and is situated on a portion of land historically referred to as Morrisania, named after the powerful Morris family … Continue reading
Lincoln’s last play; or, the continuing fascination with “Our American Cousin”
A distant cousin stands to inherit a large British estate on the brink of financial ruin. Sound familiar? The main storyline from the phenomenally popular British series “Downton Abbey” shares … Continue reading
The Abolitionist Riots of 1834
Not too long ago, I was looking through our map collection with Andrea Renner, one of the Museum’s Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Curatorial Fellows, who assisted curator Hilary Ballon on … Continue reading
A Practical Joke of Great Proportions
I recently finished reading The Rector and the Rogue, W. A. Swanberg’s riveting true account of a peculiar situation targeting the Reverend Morgan Dix of Trinity Church over 130 years … Continue reading
Metamorphoses: A mysterious poem
The images below come from one of two hand drawn flip-books I came across in the “Verses” collection. After each verse, you flip back one of the leaves to reveal … Continue reading
MCNY Blog: New York Stories 