History and Art at the New-York Historical Society

Step inside a grand granite building on Central Park West where the air carries the weight of centuries. Here, in a space designed in the classic Roman Eclectic style, you are standing within New York’s first museum—a site that predates the Metropolitan Museum of Art by nearly seven decades. The architecture itself tells a story, with its expansive wings and stained-glass windows providing a stately backdrop to one of the most comprehensive collections of American history and art in the country.

Explore the Foundations of a Nation

Walk through galleries that house over 1.6 million works of art, where you can encounter some of the most significant artifacts defining the American experience. The collection features:

• Masterworks of the Landscape: A world-class collection of Hudson River School paintings by masters such as Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church.
• **Portraiture and Sculpture:** An extensive array of American portraits, including works by Gilbert Stuart and Rembrandt Peale, alongside a massive collection documenting the full range of representational sculpture in America from the colonial era to today.
• Historical Artifacts: Tangible pieces of history, such as George Washington’s camp bed from Valley Forge, the desk used by Clement Clarke Moore to write "A Visit from Saint Nicholas," and one of the world's largest collections of Tiffany lamps and glasswork.
• **Specialized Collections: Explore the folk art of Elie Nadelman, a collection of over 500 late 19th-century American board games, and all 435 of John James Audubon’s preparatory watercolors for The Birds of America.

Delve into the Research Library

Beyond the public galleries lies a research library containing more than three million volumes. This repository serves as a deep archive of the American narrative, offering specialized materials on:

• Early Republic History: Including the first documentary evidence of the phrase "United States of America" and an extensive collection of 18th-century newspapers.
• **Civil War Records: A significant archive including Ulysses S. Grant’s terms of surrender for Robert E. Lee.
• **Cultural Heritage: Collections documenting the history of the circus, American travel accounts from the colonial era to the present, and a vast array of maps, prints, and architectural drawings.

Maximize Your Visit on the Upper West Side

To fully appreciate the scale of the collections, allow yourself ample time to wander through both the museum galleries and the library's unique spaces. A highlight not to miss is the second-floor library, where you can view two notable stained glass windows: "The Arrival of Henry Hudson" and the "French Huguenot memorial window," which honors religious refugees in New York.

The museum also features an interactive children's museum within its renovated halls, making it a multi-generational destination. Because of the sheer volume of material—from 19th-century photography by Bill Cunningham to the history of the Constitution—plan for a substantial visit to move beyond just the highlights.

Explore the Neighborhood

Located on the Upper West Side, the museum is situated near Central Park. If you wish to continue your exploration of New York's landmarks after your visit, other notable sites in the city include the American Museum of Natural History, the Empire State Building, and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.