In the first half of the nineteenth century, a group of painters working in New York City, together with like-minded poets and writers, developed a distinctly American vision of the landscape. Their powerful interpretations of American scenery, which came to be known as the Hudson river School, tell the story of how landscape imagery can shape both national and cultural identity. These works also demonstrated an early awareness of the importance of...

"The essays by major Gilbert scholars and the individual histories of twelve major commissions featured in an exhibit by the New-York Historical Society document the variety and brilliance of Gilbert's architecture, as well as the process of each project: from commission through design to construction and completion. Each discussion illuminates different aspects of Gilbert's work, including the administrative structure of his office and his relationship...

Named after a series of charity portraiture shows held by the New York social elite during the 1890s, Beauty's Legacy examines the resurgence of society portraiture in the United States between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of World War I. The catalog features 65 portraits from the New-York Historical Society collection: sitters range from celebrated beauties to business titans, among them Mrs. William Waldorf Astor, Emma Thursby, Samuel...

In this episode of New York: A Documentary Film, filmmaker Ric Burns follows the city into the 20th century in the wake of an extraordinary wave of immigration and the birth of the skyscraper. As New York spilled into the new century, the extraordinary interplay of capitalism, democracy and transformation surged to a climax. During a single generation, over 10 million immigrants arrived in New York. The city itself became an even more dramatic lure...

Making American Taste features fifty-five works from the New-York Historical Society's collection that cast new light on both the history of American art and the formation of American cultural ideals during a crucial period from the 1830s to the late 1860s. By integrating history, literary and religious subjects with now better-known examples of rural and domestic genre, the exhibition explores the broad range of styles and narrative themes that appealed...