Dec 13, 2005
CELEBRATE WINTER AND THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS AT THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
New York -- To celebrate the winter season, the New-York Historical Society is presenting “Winter Wonderland,” an exhibition of holiday and winter-themed art and artifacts from the permanent collection on display through January, 2006. The exhibition features the handsome bureau desk on which Moore is said to have written the poem, as well as a copy of the poem in his own handwriting. Moore’s work inspired Robert Weir’s charming 1837 painting of St. Nicholas, also featured in the exhibition. The New-York Historical Society is located Central Park West and 77th Street.
Though legend has it that Santa Claus hails from the North Pole, he was actually a New Yorker who came into the world in 1822 on West 23rd Street in what is now the trendy Chelsea neighborhood.
He was born in the imagination of Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863), a scholar and one of the founders of the New-York Historical Society, who penned a whimsical poem about St. Nicholas, the patron of old Dutch New York, for the amusement of his six children at Christmastime. Soon after the publication of A Visit from St. Nicholas--popularly known today by its opening line, “’Twas the night before Christmas…”--St. Nicholas became a popular feature of American Christmas celebrations. Moore's poem permanently connected St. Nicholas to Christmas, and led to our idea of Santa Claus.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is an elegant sleigh from circa 1890, an ideal vehicle for travel and pleasure driving during the winter months. Created by Brewster & Company, New York City’s leading carriage manufacturer, the sleigh features sweeping lines, a boldly curved dash, and graceful ironwork scrolls.
A selection of winter-themed toys, games, and puzzles from the late 19th and early 20th centuries reveal that winter pleasures have changed little over the last century. Puzzles and blocks featuring illustrator Palmer Cox’s impish Brownies depict the merry band engaged in wintertime antics, from snowballing to ice-skating. Also displayed are two winter landscapes by George Henry Durrie (1820-1863), whose work was immortalized in Currier & Ives lithographs.
This beautiful winter tableau is on display through January 2006, in the Lower Level gallery. Admission to the exhibit is included in regular museum admission, and museum goers can also see the Historical Society’s highly praised Slavery in New York exhibit; Finding Priscilla's Children: The Roots and Branches of Slavery, the story of
Priscilla--a 10-year-old girl taken on the slave ship Hare from Sierra Leone to South Carolina in 1756; Nature and the American Vision: The Hudson River School at the New-York Historical Society, showcasing together for the first time more than 100 famous paintings by artists of the Hudson River School including Thomas Cole, Asher B. Durand, John F. Kensett, Jasper F. Cropsey and Albert Bierstadt ; and The Henry Luce III Center For The Study of American Culture, a state-of-the-art facility for its renowned fine and decorative arts collection which safely houses and makes accessible more than 40,000 objects - representing museum collections amassed over 200 years - previously in offsite storage. Paintings, sculpture, furniture, tools for home and trade, Tiffany lamps, textiles, metals, ceramics and glass are displayed in visible storage, offering a unique behind-the-scenes museum experience for the visitor.
For additional information call the New-York Historical Society at 212 873-3400, or visit the NYHS website at www.nyhistory.org.
Though legend has it that Santa Claus hails from the North Pole, he was actually a New Yorker who came into the world in 1822 on West 23rd Street in what is now the trendy Chelsea neighborhood.
He was born in the imagination of Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863), a scholar and one of the founders of the New-York Historical Society, who penned a whimsical poem about St. Nicholas, the patron of old Dutch New York, for the amusement of his six children at Christmastime. Soon after the publication of A Visit from St. Nicholas--popularly known today by its opening line, “’Twas the night before Christmas…”--St. Nicholas became a popular feature of American Christmas celebrations. Moore's poem permanently connected St. Nicholas to Christmas, and led to our idea of Santa Claus.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is an elegant sleigh from circa 1890, an ideal vehicle for travel and pleasure driving during the winter months. Created by Brewster & Company, New York City’s leading carriage manufacturer, the sleigh features sweeping lines, a boldly curved dash, and graceful ironwork scrolls.
A selection of winter-themed toys, games, and puzzles from the late 19th and early 20th centuries reveal that winter pleasures have changed little over the last century. Puzzles and blocks featuring illustrator Palmer Cox’s impish Brownies depict the merry band engaged in wintertime antics, from snowballing to ice-skating. Also displayed are two winter landscapes by George Henry Durrie (1820-1863), whose work was immortalized in Currier & Ives lithographs.
This beautiful winter tableau is on display through January 2006, in the Lower Level gallery. Admission to the exhibit is included in regular museum admission, and museum goers can also see the Historical Society’s highly praised Slavery in New York exhibit; Finding Priscilla's Children: The Roots and Branches of Slavery, the story of
Priscilla--a 10-year-old girl taken on the slave ship Hare from Sierra Leone to South Carolina in 1756; Nature and the American Vision: The Hudson River School at the New-York Historical Society, showcasing together for the first time more than 100 famous paintings by artists of the Hudson River School including Thomas Cole, Asher B. Durand, John F. Kensett, Jasper F. Cropsey and Albert Bierstadt ; and The Henry Luce III Center For The Study of American Culture, a state-of-the-art facility for its renowned fine and decorative arts collection which safely houses and makes accessible more than 40,000 objects - representing museum collections amassed over 200 years - previously in offsite storage. Paintings, sculpture, furniture, tools for home and trade, Tiffany lamps, textiles, metals, ceramics and glass are displayed in visible storage, offering a unique behind-the-scenes museum experience for the visitor.
For additional information call the New-York Historical Society at 212 873-3400, or visit the NYHS website at www.nyhistory.org.