The New York Historical

Before the invention of internal combustion vehicles, horses occupied a gray area between working animals and pets. In New York City, horses were “carriage” animals that drew the trolleys and horsecars of the transportation system. The plight of overworked and beaten carriage horses inspired the creation in 1866 of the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). The ASPCA was responsible for introducing ambulances for horses and the distribution of free water for them, ensuring that by the mid-19th century, anti-animal cruelty laws included the protection of horses. The organization moved on to dogs, cats, horses, and other animal welfare programs. Learn more in the special exhibition “Pets and the City”—on view at The New York Historical through April 20, 2025. https://bit.ly/3yXnPmH ?? 1) George Grantham Bain, Hot Day Watering Horses (detail), 1911. Library of Congress. 2) The ASPCA operates the first ambulance for injured horses (detail), 1867. Copyright ? 2023. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). All Rights Reserved. 3) Installation Photo: Zhen Qi, The New York Historical.

? OPEN TODAY: Village Voice photographer Fred McDarrah captured pivotal moments in LGBTQ+ history in the latter half of the 20th century. Explore more than 60 black-and-white photographs that offer unique insights into the triumphs and struggles of LGBTQ+ history, including the Mattachine Society “Sip-In” at Julius’ Bar on 10th Street in 1966, the Stonewall Uprising in 1969, and the annual Pride marches that followed. "Fred W. McDarrah: Pride and Protest" is on view now through July 13, 2025. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3V6jhSN ?? Fred McDarrah, Untitled (Stonewall Uprising), New York, New York, June 28, 1969. Courtesy of MUUS Collection. Copyright Fred W. McDarrah/MUUS Collection.

Kay WalkingStick has been nominated for the ARTnews Award for Lifetime Achievement for our exhibition “Kay WalkingStick / Hudson River School." Winners will be announced on December 4, 2024. Learn more about the 2023-2024 exhibition: https://bit.ly/3QkkbrC

The late John Lewis is remembered for his incomparable legacy as an activist fighting for civil rights and racial equality. Historian David Greenberg traces Lewis' life through the post-civil rights years, in a conversation with Mark Whitaker. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4fsc4V7

How would you describe Robert Caro’s "The Power Broker"? ??Tell us in the comments! Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Robert Caro's The Power Broker in an installation on view now through February 2, 2025. https://bit.ly/47430CG

?? How did Dalmatians become known as Firehouse dogs? ?? The Dalmatian’s evolution to fire dog began as early as the mid-1700s, when they served as stable guards and ran with carriages to protect passengers and goods—saving the day in spots and style! The New York Fire Department started using Dalmatians as fire dogs in the 1870s, when fire engines were horse-drawn. Their role was to clear the way in front of the horses. When firehouses stopped using horses with the invention of internal combustion engines, the Dalmatians stayed. Explore the history of New Yorkers and their pets over the last 300 years in our special exhibition "Pets and the City." https://bit.ly/3yXnPmH ?? 1) William D. Hassler, Ambulance Dalmatian dog, ca. 1911-1922. 2) William D. Hassler, Horse-drawn Bellevue Hospital ambulance with dalmation, ca. 1911-1921. 3) George E. Stonebridge, Dalmatians in Decoration Day Parade, 1900. 4) George E. Stonebridge, Dalmatian, Bronx, NY, c. 1897-1918.

In the late 19th century, women wanted to participate in sports and other leisure activities that expanded the boundaries of what was deemed acceptable feminine behavior. By the 1890s, women were hiking, biking, playing tennis and golf, sailing, and riding horses in modified streetclothes. Many of these clothes incorporated elements from menswear like ties, tailored jackets, and shirtwaists, and had slightly shorter hemlines to allow greater movement. Cycling outfits hid bifurcated skirts behind panels that buttoned on the sides, though these were not considered appropriate as everyday clothes. Yet, the distribution of massmarket paper dolls depicting women in athletic attire suggests that such pursuits were normalized and even idealized. "Real Clothes, Real Lives: 200 Years of What Women Wore, the Smith College Historic Clothing Collection" is on view at The New York Historical through June 22, 2025. This exhibition was organized by the Smith College Historic Clothing Collection. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4dXGE8D ?? 1) Woman with a bicycle, 1895. Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. 2) Paper Dolls, ca. 1895.

Today is #ElectionDay. Get out and VOTE! ? ? In 1858, Samuel Jollie patented a transparent ballot box, designed so "that the bystanders may see every ballot which is put in, see all the ballots that are in, and see them taken out." Jollie sold 1200 of his cast iron and glass boxes to New York City in time for the 1857 election. https://bit.ly/4e4sP7s

Did you know the setting of West Side Story was San Juan Hill? Before this area was bulldozed and re-developed for Lincoln Center and Fordham University’s midtown campus, it was the site of a vibrant, predominantly Black and Puerto Rican neighborhood known as San Juan Hill. This project was one of city planner Robert Moses’s most impactful—and most contentious—projects. In the 1950s, Moses targeted the area for urban renewal, labeling it as a “slum.” Thousands of residents were displaced, their homes demolished to make way for the cultural complex. Lincoln Center became a world-renowned arts hub, but the cost was the destruction of a thriving community. Robert A. Caro traced Moses’ impact and accumulation of power in his biography “The Power Broker.” Explore the making of the monumental book and the stories Caro uncovered in a special installation on view now at The New York Historical. https://bit.ly/47430CG ?? 1) John Rooney/Associated Press, Demolition of San Juan Hill and the construction of Lincoln Center from an aerial view. 2) Phil Stanziola, Mrs. Ellan Levitt leading picket line protesting proposed destruction of Lincoln Square neighborhood to build Lincoln Center, 1956. Library of Congress. 3) Robert Mintzes, Lincoln Center, 2010. Wikimedia. 4) Housing and commercial establishments along 63rd Street, 1956. 5) Photo of Robert Moses by Arnold Newman, Contributor, Getty Images

?? Good luck to all those running in the New York City Marathon today! Corbitt is credited with moving the NYC Marathon beyond Central Park, where it was run in its first five years. ?Corbitt was a Pioneer Club member who became the first president of the TCS New York City Marathon’s founding organization, New York Road Runners (NYRR). As a member of the NYPC, Corbitt completed 223 marathons and ultramarathons across the country and around the world. ? We're throwing it back to our 2023 exhibition "Running for Civil Rights: The New York Pioneer Club, 1936-1976." The exhibition explored the critical contributions of two Black men, Joe Yancey and Ted Corbitt, to open the sport of long-distance running to all. https://bit.ly/45t5MPz ?? 1) Paul Sutton, Ted Corbitt at the New York City Marathon, 1973, PCN Photography/Alamy Stock Photo. 2) Michael Lewis, Ted Corbitt at 88, September 2007, Courtesy of the New York Road Runners. 3-5) Glenn Castellano, Exhibition installation photos, 2023.