New-York Historical Society

“I love uniforms,” Diane von Furstenberg said in her remarks at the museum’s packed reception for the exhibition’s opening. “I design uniforms for the women in charge.” "Real Clothes, Real Lives" was organized by the Smith College Historic Clothing Collection. Read the latest on the exhibition! https://bit.ly/3U03nIY

“Robert Moses built 627 miles of roads in and around New York City. This is the story of one of those miles.” So begins the chapter “One Mile” at the heart of The Power Broker. In it, Robert Caro traces the heartbreaking impact of the Cross-Bronx Expressway’s construction on the residents of East Tremont. Building this mile alone meant demolishing at least 1,530 apartments and displacing 5,000 residents. Caro confronts his readers with the human cost of Moses’ policies, ensuring it cannot be ignored or forgotten. Visit our special installation “Robert Caro's The Power Broker at 50”—on view now. https://bit.ly/47430CG 📷 1) Thomas Airviews, Cross-Bronx Expressway during construction, August 27, 1958. 2) Robert Moses, 1964. Arnold Newman / Contributor / Getty Images. 3) Typescript draft of "One Mile" chapter, with handwritten notes.

Enjoy an early-bird hour of comedy with acclaimed NYC stand-ups every Friday through October 25. Pay-as-you-wish hours are from 5–8 pm, so come early or stay late to explore our exhibitions. Seating is first come, first served, so get here early to grab your seats. https://bit.ly/3TYuoN4

"These were garments from whence we came—they needed to serve a function beyond being beautiful because the same was expected from the women who wore them. And for all the merits of fantasy in fashion scholarship, reality tells a much better story." Read the latest from Vogue about our newest exhibition, "Real Clothes, Real Lives." https://bit.ly/3TNMjpA

📢 The Bonnie and Richard Reiss Graduate Institute for Constitutional History is pleased to announce its fall 2024 #seminar for advanced graduate students and junior faculty on the topic "Reconstruction and Its Legal Legacy." This seminar with instructors Laura F. Edwards and Martha S. Jones will use the lens of legal history to explore the advent of Reconstruction’s short-lived experiment in democracy, through to its intended and unintended consequences today. Apply by October 11, 2024. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3h6iuwS #ConstitutionalHistory

What can clothing tell us about women's lives over the past 200 years? Open Today: Uncover the hidden stories behind women’s clothing from the past two centuries. Every garment tells a tale of how women navigated their lives, roles, and societies. See a mourning dress from the 1860s, an 'invisible' house dress of the Great Depression, a 1970s wrap dress that sparked a fashion revolution, and more. Each garment—from the Smith College Historic Clothing Collection—is a portal into the lives of the women who wore them. Whether it’s a modest house dress or a fashion revolution in fabric, each garment holds a rich history. “Real Clothes, Real Lives: 200 Years of What Women Wore, the Smith College Historic Clothing Collection" is on view at the New-York Historical Society through June 22, 2025. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4dXGE8D 📷 1) Mourning Dress, 1860s, Black-and-white cotton work dress, printed cotton, hand-stitched. Photography by Anna-Marie Kellen for The Smith College Historic Clothing Collection. 2) A textile mill worker, ca. 1860, Courtesy of Michael L. Carlebach.

Are you interested in a career in Museums? Spend the evening at New York's first museum connecting with Museum professionals and learning about #internship opportunities available within the field. Free with code PDCOMP at checkout. https://bit.ly/4gCayRy

🤯 The largest theater in the world was once the New York Hippodrome. It opened at 43rd Street at Sixth Avenue in 1905. The Hippodrome had a stage *12 times larger* than that of any Broadway theater. It could seat 5,300 people—almost double the capacity of the old Met Opera House. The Hippodrome was a massive red brick structure with towers topped by electrified globes. 🐘 It hosted full-sized circuses, musical extravaganzas, and magic acts like Harry Houdini’s disappearance of a 10,000-pound elephant. It also had a moveable 8,000-gallon water tank for aquatic acts. High operating costs along with popularity of motion pictures over live performance was the Hippodrome’s undoing. The theater was razed in 1939 and replaced by an office building. Time is running out! The special exhibition "Lost New York" closes on September 29, 2024. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4aBuX5B 📷 1) Unidentified photographer, Manhattan: the Hippodrome, 1905. 2) Archie Gunn, Souvenir book, ca. 1905. 3) Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library. "Houdini's vanishing elephant." 4) Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library. "Theatres -- U.S.- N.Y.- Hippodrome."

🎤🤣 Enjoy an early-bird hour of #comedy with acclaimed NYC stand-ups. Host Tom Delgado leads a night of laughs at the Museum, featuring New York comics KC Shornima, Pat Burtscher, & Petey DeAbreun. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3zf0MEa

The Power Broker by the numbers 📕 Robert A. Caro’s monumental work details the rise of city planner Robert Moses and the far-reaching impact of his decisions on New York City. To learn more visit our special installation “Robert Caro's The Power Broker at 50”—on view through February 2, 2025. https://bit.ly/47430CG