Prior to the construction of Robert Mills’ Washington Monument in 1833, proposals to erect a memorial in honor of George Washington began as early as 1783. The defeat of the British under his command and his consecutive time as the first President of the United States had thrust Washington into the public’s mind as an…

On July 3, 1776, the Continental Congress authorized privateering on the high seas. Essentially, any private citizen who obtained a Commission of Marque and Reprisal would be permitted to capture British ships. A common warfare tactic since the Middle Ages, the intent of the act was to weaken the enemy at sea while trading confiscated…

With this post, the New-York Historical Society Library introduces a new quarterly feature in which we will highlight the collections for which detailed finding aids were published over the prior three months. All collections receive at least a summary description in our catalog, BobCat. But many collections have such depth or are simply so large…

Hailed as the foremost painter of the American Revolution, John Trumbull (1756-1843) is best remembered for the four iconic images that grace the walls of the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. These paintings depict pivotal events in our nation’s early history: The Signing of the Declaration of Independence, The Surrender of General Burgoyne, The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis, and General Washington Resigning his…

As we gather to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, the American Historical Manuscripts Cataloging Project staff would like to share this lovely discovery with our readers. This illuminated manuscript, done in the Carolingian style, was executed in 1932 by Madeline Abraham Scheuer for Dr. Victor H. Palsits (1867-1952). Palsits was the Keeper of Manuscripts at the New…

Joshua Brookes arrived in the United States in 1798 at just twenty-five years of age. It was to be a 5-year tour, which he would document in a journal that now resides in the New-York Historical Society’s collection. Though he sailed back to his native England in 1803, Brookes did not stay away long, coming…

This post is by Rebecca Grabie, Reference Librarian for Printed Collections. The art of bookbinding is the art of creating in the reader, by the composition of the covers of a book, the state of mind desired by the author of the book. It is an art of the book-lover, not of the printer, publisher, bookbinder,…

This post was written by Mariam Touba, Reference Librarian for Printed Collections. Popular culture now makes it known how much Aaron Burr believed in the education of women, endorsing “with avidity and prepossession” what he would read in Mary Wollstonecraft’s 1792 A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.  He applied these principles to the upbringing…

This post was written by Mariam Touba, Reference Librarian for Printed Collections. The drama of bravery, defeat, and successful retreat in 1776 will be on display as “The Battle of Brooklyn” exhibition opens at The New-York Historical Society this week.  This first major battle of the American Revolution remained seared in George Washington’s memory.  An…