History Detectives

So, you think kids are the only ones allowed to play dress-up? Renowned fashion photographer Bill Cunningham would disagree. The exhibition Bill Cunningham: Facades , currently on view at the New-York Historical Society through June 15, showcases a stunning series of photographs taken by Cunningham of models in period costumes all around New York City. To…

Congratulations to the winner of our first annual Children’s History Book Prize, Kristin Levine! Last year we dug into middle-reader history books from 2012 – both non-fiction and fiction. The DiMenna Children’s History Museum staff read dozens and dozens of terrific books, and then we shared four finalists with our book prize jury. This jury…

On May 5, 1864, in the western town of Cochran’s Mills, Pennsylvania, the thirteenth child of Judge Michael Cochran was born. Her given name was Elizabeth Jane. All the other mothers in Cochran’s Mills had the habit of dressing their daughters in muted brown and gray fabrics…but not Mary Jane Cochran. She dressed her daughter…

Birds are everywhere at the New-York Historical Society right now! The second floor of our museum has been taken over by Part II of our tripartite series, Audubon’s Aviary, which features many of John James Audubon’s original watercolors for his revolutionary work, The Birds of America. This year, we are showing works that relate to…

Recently in our Little New-Yorkers program we have started to venture out of the children’s library into the museum. On the fourth floor in the Luce Center lies quite a majestic piece, the Beekman Family Coach. Coaches like this were very rare, super fancy and would only be used for special occasions. In December we…

Bloodiest War in History War Between the States War of Secession War of the Rebellion Mr. Lincoln’s War No matter what it was called, the American Civil War, fought from 1861 to 1865, was a brutal one – not only for the men who fought on both sides, but for those who remained at home….

How many girls today dream of becoming scientists? In the twenty-first century, these girls can achieve their dreams far more easily than could girls in the nineteenth century. This Sunday, Reading into History book club families will learn about nineteenth century women in science by discussing The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. In…

This Sunday, families who take part in our Lost Arts: Scrimshaw program will get to see examples of scrimshaw, an art form practiced by sailors on whaling expeditions in the nineteenth century.  Scrimshaw makers, called scrimshanders, most often made elaborate carvings into sperm whale teeth. Families will see examples of these and will carve their…

When you think of Women’s History Month, which names come to mind? Many people rightfully associate Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton with the women’s rights movement of the 1800s. After all, they founded the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869, an organization to help women gain the right to vote. For all of…