New-York Historical Society Teen Historians

From Aleppo to America: My Family’s Citizenship Journey

May 15, 2019

By Edward Tawil The lace from this tablecloth is one of the few items my family was able to bring over to America after emigrating from their homeland in Aleppo, Syria. It brings me back to my family’s history as merchants selling goods such as linens, oriental rugs, and clothing along the Silk Road in…

Close-up detail of the lace from a tablecloth, brought to the US from Aleppo, Syria in the 1920's during the immigration of the writer's great-grandfather.

From Aleppo to America: My Family’s Citizenship Journey

May 15, 2019

Freedom From Want: A Feast for Eyes

May 14, 2019

Zina Parikh, Rising Freshman at Ithaca College Norman Rockwell’s Freedom From Want is an iconic piece of both his career and of the time in which it was created. The oil on canvas painting, published in The Saturday Evening Post on March 6, 1943, depicts a happy family of many generations gathered around a large…

This advertisement is in black and white, and depicts a woman in what is likely meant to be a street, though it more closely resembles a small, spare white-painted room. The woman has shoulder length blonde hair which is neatly combed back and is wearing some makeup, although her face is shadowed. She has a tall, slim build. She is wearing a dress suit, which consists of a loosely fitted blazer with full-length sleeves, and a skirt that goes to her mid-calf. There are four, large, decorative buttons closing the blazer. The blazer has a v-neckline, which reveals a white blouse beneath it. The woman holds a large clutch in her right hand. She rests her left hand on the “Freedom of Worship” poster on the wall next to her, which says “BUY WAR BONDS” in bold letters along the bottom. Another poster, “Freedom of Speech,” is visible behind her.

Women and Fashion in World War II

May 9, 2019

Sabrina Barton, 11th Grade Altman Masterpiece is an advertisement created in 1943 for the company B. Altman & Co., a department store that was founded in 1865 by Benjamin Altman and based in New York City. The ad appeared in an issue of Vogue magazine from September 15, 1943. The advertisement is in black and…

This painting, created October 4, 1941, on the eve of American involvement in World War II, depicts a young private by the name Willie Gillis receiving a food package. Behind him are a group of older, larger soldiers. By the stripes on their sleeves we can tell many of them are higher ranking than the young private. The soldiers are eyeing the food package with what is clearly somewhat malicious intent. The exaggerated facial expressions, juxtaposition of young Willie with the older soldiers, and the use of bright colors all work together to create a lighthearted and comical atmosphere in the piece.

Willie Gillis And His Times

May 7, 2019

Nicholas Castillo, 12th grade Throughout the Second World War, American illustrator Norman Rockwell adapted his work to center around what would become iconic images of America during World War II. The painting Willie Gillis: Food Package, made as a cover for The Saturday Evening Post, is a prime example of this. This painting, created October…

Ben Shahn’s This is Nazi Brutality depicts a man in a suit standing in front of two brick walls under a gloomy sky. His hands are clenched, his wrists are cuffed, and the viewer’s eye is almost immediately drawn to the execution hood he is wearing. Superimposed over the painting is a transcribed message from a Radio Berlin program that states, “Radio Berlin.-- IT IS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED:- ALL MEN OF LIDICE- CZECHOSLOVAKIA- HAVE BEEN SHOT: THE WOMEN DEPORTED TO A CONCENTRATION CAMP: THE CHILDREN SENT TO APPROPRIATE CENTERS-- THE NAME OF THE VILLAGE WAS IMMEDIATELY ABOLISHED. 6/11/42/115P.” Above that message in large red letters is the phrase, “This is Nazi Brutality.”

Ben Shahn’s This is Nazi Brutality: Propaganda Posters and Public Opinion During WWII

May 6, 2019

Nechama Peikes, 12th grade Ben Shahn’s This is Nazi Brutality illustrates a common, yet horrific occurrence in Nazi controlled Czechoslovakia. Shahn depicts a man in a suit standing in front of two brick walls under a gloomy sky. His hands are clenched, his wrists are cuffed, and the viewer’s eye is almost immediately drawn to…

Thousand Yard Stare

May 2, 2019

Kevin-Michael Kamel “He left the States 31 months ago. He was wounded in his first campaign…. Two thirds of his company has been killed or wounded but he is still standing. So he will return to attack this morning. How much can a human being endure?” – Tom Lea, 6/11/1945 Issue of Life Magazine The…

Rockwell depicts the iconic Rosie Riveter as a bulky figure seated in the center of the piece with shameless marks of her labor, such as the stains and grime on her skin and clothing. He illustrates Rosie with other stereotypically masculine features including her overalls and loafers, various organizational pins on her chest, the large rivet gun, and fierce grip on the lunch box. However, there are also contradictions to this masculine narrative: Rosie has nail polish and lipstick, a feminine high nose tip, and styled red curly hair.

Rosie the Riveter: An Icon of the Past and Present

April 30, 2019

John Shin, 11th Grade Publicly debuted on the front cover of the May 29, 1943, distribution of The Saturday Evening Post, Norman Rockwell’s Rosie the Riveter became a pivotal work of art that was used to recruit women for factory jobs in the United States Defense Industry during World War II. Rockwell depicts Rosie as…

Gas Masks and Umbrellas: Insights into American Mentality Before WWII

April 17, 2019

Hope Ha, 11th Grade Baby New Year Ready for War is a magazine cover for The Saturday Evening Post by J.C. Leyendecker. The cover depicts a blue-eyed, blonde-haired baby sitting on top of a suitcase with British flag colors, along with a small satchel. The baby looks up through a gas mask, while clutching an…

In Boris Artzybasheff’s Witches’ Sabbath, Nazi officials wreak havoc across a dark landscape, each of them anthropormorphized into swastikas.

Witches’ Sabbath: the Hellish Horrors of Nazi Germany

April 15, 2019

Zeki Hirsch, 11th Grade Sitting just outside a display of the renowned Four Freedoms paintings, this small but striking work stands out starkly from the vivid colors and quirky characters of Norman Rockwell. Ukrainian-American artist Boris Artzybasheff’s Witches’ Sabbath, made in 1942 for Life magazine, is a dark, grotesque snapshot of one of Europe’s greatest…

Normal Rockwell's painting, The Ticket Seller,depicts a morose man in a Ticket Agency surrounded by posters advertising travel destinations in Europe and around the world. Business is slow because travel was not as attainable during the Great Depression.

Travel During the Great Depression: Norman Rockwell and the Average American

April 10, 2019

Dora Usdan, 11th Grade The Ticket Seller by Norman Rockwell was illustrated as a cover for The Saturday Evening Post published on April 24th, 1937. The painting depicts a man in a Ticket Agency surrounded by posters advertising travel destinations in Europe and around the world. Some of the destinations listed are “Paris,” “Mountains” and…

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