New-York Historical Society librarians reveal fascinating stories from the past through exceptional items in the library's collection.
The Roycrofters' "Christmas Goodie Box" and Marketing the Arts & Crafts Movement
Boasting an enticing array of foodstuffs like pecan patties, mince-meat, preserves, pickles, honey, nut-bread and ginger cookies, it's exactly the kind of gift you might bring while visiting family or friends during the holiday season. It seems hardly out of a place then in 2021, yet this is a "Christmas Goodie Box" from 1914. It…
Santa in the City: The Christmas Cards of Oscar Fabres
What's Christmas without Christmas cards? The fanciful greetings here are the work of Oscar Fabres (1894–1960), a Chilean illustrator who studied art in Paris and settled in New York in 1940, where he lived and kept a studio at 715 Madison Avenue. The Oscar Fabres Collection (PR 079), bequeathed to the New-York Historical Society by the artist's agent,…
In honor of Labor Day: a photographic tribute to New Yorkers at work
While historians still debate who first proposed a labor day holiday, there is no question as to where the first Labor Day celebration took place. Like most other important events, it happened right here in New York City. On September 5, 1882, a parade organized by the city's Central Labor Union marched up Broadway, past…
Happy Passover and Easter!
To celebrate the holidays, here are a few lighthearted Easter and Passover images that can hardly help but make you happy, regardless of religion.
Louis Prang, Father of the American Christmas Card
This post was written by Marybeth Kavanagh, Print Room Reference Librarian. It's widely accepted that the first Christmas card was printed in London in 1843, when Sir Henry Cole hired artist John Calcott Horsley to design a holiday card that he could send to his friends. But it was Boston-based printer Louis Prang who introduced…
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