New-York Historical Society Teen Historians

Written  by Teen Leader Elena Butuzova Recently, I bought this papier-mâché bird from the thrift store. Why? It reminded me of John James Audubon and my time in the Teen Leader internship at the New-York Historical Society.  Throughout the summer internship, I asked myself what Audubon will mean to me once I am no longer…

Written by Julie Anne Lim, Rising College Freshman Teen Historian “Jug” from the Folk Art Collection of Elie and Viola Nadelman is a stoneware piece that measures 12 inches x 7.75 inches. It has been decorated with leaves and crescents using cobalt oxide, giving these details a blue hue. It is marked with an inscription…

Wrriten by Ephraim Kozodoy, 12th Grade Teen Historian Unidentified American maker. Cake print depicting an allegory of Greek independence, 1823–32. Mahogany. New-York Historical Society. INV. 1937.591 Viewed from a distance, one’s gaze might pass right by this unprepossessing slab of carved mahogany. As one moves closer, however, the carvings resolve themselves into a detailed scene of…

Written by Kaitlyn Lucey, Teen Leader Long before people could obtain a wealth of information and knowledge in a device that fits in one’s pocket, humankind looked to other sources of entertainment and intellect. Above all, nature rose to the occasion, as it was readily available and ever present. John James Audubon, the central focus…

Written by Ariela Reiter, 11th Grade Teen Historian   Remember those old ceramic pieces on the shelf at your grandparents’ house? Those festive yet mysterious ceramic coffee pitchers that were never actually used? Well, there is more of a story to those objects than you may have originally thought. Folk art, which these pieces are…

Written by Bryant Tufino, 11th Grade Teen Historian The picture above depicts an old metallic toy of a large man sitting on a chair. In addition, on the sides of the chair, it says “Tammany Bank.” The toy is made of metal and colored with paint, however, due to age, it has faded. Although it…

Written by Aaron Murphy, 11th Grade Teen Historian   The Rosa y Isabel was a clipper ship that sailed for a German shipping company called F. Laeisz from 1867–1884. At the bow of the ship was a red pine figurehead Rosa Isabella. She was dressed in a short red dress with a white sash tied…

Written by Emily Axelson, 10th Grade Teen Historian A boy, about five or six years of age, stands clasping the reins of his black pull toy horse, complete with leather reins, saddle, and whip. Dressed in a blue top with lace detailing encircling the neck and wrists and in white pants and small black shoes,…

Written by Ahmad Alnasser, 12th Grade Teen Historian,   With 2016 being an election year, it would be pretty difficult to miss an advertisement by one of the candidates, in a multitude of languages, urging one to vote and support their campaigns. Nowadays, seeing politicians’ names on everyday items is commonplace, but in the early 1800s…