New-York Historical Society Teen Historians

By Genesis Nunez  I will spend my summer researching the history behind the world famous Tiffany lamps. I am learning that Tiffany lamps hold much more meaning and serve a purpose greater than simple decorative items.There is a whole world of wonders to discover about Tiffany and about its history. I was surprised to learn…

This summer at NYHS my fellow interns and I are studying Howard Thain’s painting The Grand Central Terminal and researching the history of Grand Central Terminal. I have specifically been focusing on its majestic and ornate architectural style, which reflects the movement for visual luxury in New York at the time. Before Cornelius Vanderbilt purchased…

One of the newest items added to the The New-York Historical Society’s extensive collection is unconventional, to say the least. Surrounded by portraits of the city’s elite and scenes of the city’s colonial past, a worn wooden door used as a canvas for the signatures and tags of 1970s graffiti artists stands as an idiosyncratic…

I am researching a draft wheel from the 1863 draft. The violence of the Civil War wasn’t just isolated to the battlefields – New York City itself became a site of death and destruction during July of 1863. Congress passed a conscription law earlier that March, requiring a national draft. This law was strongly disliked…

My group is studying advertising in American culture. More specifically, I am exploring alcohol advertising and what it can teach us about American culture, identity, and stereotypes. The New York Historical Society has a variety of breweriana located in The Luce Center, including mugs, paperweights, trays and bar decorations, usually with the name of a brewery…

This summer, my group of high school interns and I are researching Grand Central Terminal, portrayed in the “Grand Central Station, N.Y.C.” portrait by Howard Thain from 1927. Thain painted people inside the terminal around the famous “clock” during a specific moment. Just like the people portrayed in the painting, the people who use it…

For my research project with the New-York Historical Society, I am focusing on the Fowler brothers’ Phrenological Head. The head was a part of the “Bella C. Landauer: Collector of Enterprise” exhibit in 2003 but is thought to have been made sometime between 1890 and 1910. The ceramic head is marked with the teachings of…

Some of the High School Interns on the Staten Island Ferry on our Historic Downtown Walking Tour :)

I am studying an item in our collection called the “Draft Wheel.” The “Draft Wheel” is an item that helped initiate the worst urban riots in United States History. Some believe that the riots escalated to such a dangerous level because of Republican Mayor Opdyke’s reaction to the resulting riots in New York City.            …