The New York Historical

Throughout American history, Black women have been at the center of both national and international movements for social change. On October 7, join professor Keisha N. Blain and historian Zinga Fraser for an exploration of the work of activists such as Ida B. Wells and Lena Horne, who used every resource at their disposal from the global Black press to the United Nations to forge a path not only for their own civil rights, but for the very concept of human rights, by linking themselves to struggles for freedom around the world. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3IgsuoB 📷 Members of the Tuskegee Airmen pose with Lena Horne, January 1, 1945

Now on view! #TheNewYorkSari examines the South Asian diaspora in New York City, using the sari as starting point from which to explore this rich cultural history. Learn more about this show and plan your visit at https://bit.ly/4oXpYny

Open starting on October 10! The Gay Harlem Renaissance invites visitors to immerse themselves in the richness of Black LGBTQ+ life in the 1920s and 1930s, and celebrate the creativity and resilience of this era. This exhibition takes visitors from Harlem’s posh segregated nightclubs, where queer singers and dancers lit up the stages for white downtowners, to its modest rent parties and cellar speakeasies, where lesbian, bisexual, and transmasculine blues queens sang for gay and straight working-class Harlemites. It provides a sweeping portrait of Harlem after the First World War, when the Great Migration of Black Southerners, Caribbean migrants, activists, writers, painters, and performers transformed the neighborhood into the dynamic new capital of Black America. Learn more at https://bit.ly/48s7Vjk #TheGayHarlemRenaissance 📷 Basil Clemons, Ma Rainey’s Jazz Hounds, Breckenridge Texas, 1922. Courtesy, Basil Clemons Photograph Collection, Special Collections, The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries

#Onthisday in 1851, The New York Times published its first issue. Called The New-York Daily Times then, the publication's founding editor was Henry Jarvis Raymond. This photograph from our collection shows the old flatiron-shaped headquarters of the newspaper, while it was still under construction in 1904. The newspaper moved out in 1913, but the tower is still there, at the heart of Times Square—though it looks a little different today. 📷 Robert L. Bracklow, Unfinished New York Times Building, 1 Times Square, New York City, 1904. 📷 Norbert Nagel, Mörfelden-Walldorf, Germany (Wikimedia Commons)

Come work with us! We are seeking a Family Programs Associate for our DiMenna Children's History Museum.

It's National Voter Registration Day! Take today to register to vote, to check your registration, and to learn more about what's on coming up on the ballot in your state. 📷 Doorknob tag, ca. 1956. This Liberty Bell doorhanger was distributed by the Boy Scouts before the November 6 election of 1956. #voteready

Your #NewYorkFashionWeek inspo—Bill Cunningham's "Facades" project. In 1968, photographer Bill Cunningham embarked on this eight-year project to document the architectural riches and fashion history of New York City. For Facades, created with Editta Sherman, Cunningham photographed Editta and other models in front of New York landmarks in clothing from the same historic period as the buildings behind them. Cunningham had to search thrift stores, auction houses, and street fairs to find vintage clothing, and cycled around on his bike looking for the perfect locations. 📷 Grand Central Terminal, East 42nd Street, Model wearing 1910 fashion. Gift of Bill Cunningham, 1976.

Happy San Gennaro! In 1926, the Neapolitan residents of NYC's Little Italy decided to throw a block party for the patron saint of Naples. A day long, the party took place where many Italian immigrants had settled around the turn of the century—on the Lower East Side, in the area around Mulberry Street. Decades later, Little Italy's Feast of San Gennaro has expanded to be a multi-day celebration that stretches for 11 blocks, a classic fixture of New York City life. Here are just a few of Little Italy's vibrant people (and delicious foods!) from the middle of the 20th century. 📷 Eugene Gordon, Woman preparing cotton candy, at stand that also sells candy apples, San Gennaro Festival 📷 Eugene Gordon, Man behind a counter preparing clams., San Gennaro Festival 📷 Arthur W. Grumbine, A young man holds a watermelon over his shoulder in a street market on Mulberry Street above Canal Street in Little Italy.

#Onthisday in 1948, the legendary Paris Theater, the longest-running arthouse cinema in New York City, opened its doors. Bill Cunningham photographed this model in front of the theater for his 1978 "Facades" project. "Facades" featured photographs of women (mainly Cunningham's collaborator Editta Sherman) in period clothing from the same era of the buildings they posed in front of. Here, the clothing is Dior's New Look, which had debuted in 1947. 📷 Paris Theater- 58th Street: Model wearing Dior's New Look. Gift of Bill Cunningham, 1976. Bill Cunningham “Facades” Photograph Collection, The New York Historical