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New-York Historical Society celebratory and memorial event records

Call Number

NYHS-RG 12

Date

1854-1954, inclusive

Creator

New-York Historical Society

Extent

7.7 Linear feet in 13 document boxes, two card boxes, and one oversize folder.

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

The New-York Historical Society celebratory and memorial event record group includes correspondence, invitations, event programs, tickets, and other material associated with about twenty of the special events held by N-YHS from 1854-1954. These events included major N-YHS anniversaries, commemorations of Washington Irving (1860) and William Cullen Bryant (1878), the completion of the Central Park West building (1939), and others. The record group also includes documents related to the Robert Fulton exhibition installed at N-YHS in 1909 in conjunction with the Hudson-Fulton Celebration.

Biographical/Historical Note

Founded in November 1804, the members of the New-York Historical Society would often gather throughout its history to commemorate and celebrate important anniversaries or events. (Not all of these commemorations are represented in this particular record group, so the following note emphasizes in its examples those events for which documents are present. See the Related Material Note for references to other N-YHS record groups with documents concerning commemorative events.)

Certainly one significant and regular gathering marked the annual anniversary of N-YHS itself. N-YHS often sought noteworthy speakers for these anniversaries, such as Charles Francis Adams (1870) and Richard Salter Storrs (1875), who were among those who made addresses on these occasions. In 1925, N-YHS initiated an award "For Achievement in History." The gold medal was presented at N-YHS's anniversary meeting, though it was not awarded every year. Among the recipients were Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes (1925), Wilberforce Eames (1931), DeWitt M. Lockman (1933), and George Clinton Densmore Odell (1942).

Major anniversaries of N-YHS's founding called for more than the usual celebration. The semi-centennial (50th) anniversary included an address by George Bancroft and a dinner at the Astor House. The centennial celebration included a dinner and subsequent toasts and speeches at Delmonico's restaurant, an event that generated controversy as the women members of N-YHS were excluded from the dinner and relegated to the balcony with non-members for the after-dinner orations. The sesqui-centennial (150th) anniversary was a two-part affair, with a dinner in May 1954 for a select group at the Union Club and an address by Columbia University President Grayson L. Kirk, followed in November with a full meeting that included an address by historian Allan Nevins. For both the centennial and sesqui-centennial, commemorative medals were struck and histories of N-YHS were written, both offered for sale.

Aside from its anniversaries, N-YHS also celebrated other events in its institutional history, such as the completion of its building on Central Park West in 1939 (see New-York Historical Society original buildings planning & construction records (NYHS-RG 3) for more information about the history of the institution's buildings), the opening of its new Early American Rooms (1951), and the publication of a biography about the nineteenth century singer Emma Thursby (1940). And N-YHS memorialized its members who had recently died, typically with remarks at a regular meeting of the members, but on occasion at a larger public gathering. In at least one instance, for former Treasurer Robert Schell, N-YHS arranged the publication of a memorial book (1901). Some of these memorial events concerned individuals who were national figures as well as N-YHS members, including Washington Irving (1860) and William Cullen Bryant (1878). Bryant's memorial, held in New York's Academy of Music, was attended by U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes and members of his Cabinet.

Beyond its own history, N-YHS commemorated important historical events of a national, state or local character, such as the 100th Anniversary of the New York State Constitution (1877) and the 200th Anniversary of the Introduction of Printing in New York City (1893). A significant occasion along these lines was the 1909 joint celebration of the 300th anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery of the river that would later carry his name and the 100th anniversary of Robert Fulton's successful use of steam for traveling on the Hudson. The overall activities for the weeks-long celebration were coordinated by a Hudson-Fulton Celebration Commission, funded by the state, city and private donors. In cooperation with the Commission and other groups, especially the Colonial Dames of America, N-YHS installed the event's official Robert Fulton loan exhibition in its newly-built Dexter Hall. N-YHS was also the location for one of the reviewing stands along the route of the three parades that took place during the late September and early October celebration. After the close of the celebration and the Commission completed its work, it donated its records to N-YHS (the records are available; see manuscript call number MS 314).

Not all events at N-YHS were grand commemorations. Public lecture series, long a staple of N-YHS programming and commonly illustrated with lantern slides, continued in the twentieth century, featuring popular speakers such as Gilbert McClurg, Alvin F. Harlow, and Charles Wellington Furlong in the 1930s and Harry Twyford Peters in the 1940s. But programming also expanded in new directions, including musicales and other concert programs. Some of these musical programs were tied to other events at N-YHS, including to the revivals in 1939 of two nineteenth century N-YHS traditions: the springtime reception called the Strawberry Festival after its featured refreshment and the December celebration of St. Nicholas Day. Beginning in the early nineteenth century, N-YHS often linked the timing of its November anniversary celebrations to the Dutch traditions of St. Nicholas Day in December; in 1939 this tradition was revived with public programming associated with December holiday festivities.

(The principal source for this note was N-YHS Director R.W.G. Vail's Knickerbocker Birthday, published in conjunction with the institution's sesqui-centennial anniversary in 1954. See especially the section "Elegant Dinners and Eloquent Diners" on pages 361-445.)

Arrangement Note

The record group is arranged by event, in chronological order.

Scope and Contents Note

The New-York Historical Society celebratory and memorial event record group includes correspondence, invitations, event programs, tickets, and other material associated with some of the special events held by N-YHS over part of its history. About twenty events are represented in the record group, beginning with the celebration of N-YHS's semi-centennial (50th) anniversary in 1854 and ending with the sesqui-centennial (150th) anniversary in 1954. The inclusion of these events, and not others, in this record group reflects the original organization of the material in N-YHS's archive; the particular criteria, if any, distinguishing these events is not known. (See the Related Materials Note in this finding aid.)

The bulk of the record group includes correspondence, invitation lists, and other documents related to attendance at the events, that is, much of the material consists of acceptances or regrets from N-YHS members and invited guests in response to offers to attend an event. These events include major N-YHS anniversaries (50th, 100th, and 150th), anniversaries featuring major speakers (66th/Charles Francis Adams and 75th/Richard Salter Storrs), presentations of N-YHS's Achievement in History award (to Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes, Wilberforce Eames, DeWitt McClellan Lockman, and George Clinton Densmore Odell), memorials (Washington Irving, William Cullen Bryant), and other N-YHS achievements (completion of Central Park West building, publication of a biography of Emma Thursby, and opening of Early American Rooms). The correspondence for the Bryant commemoration includes an autograph letter signed by U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes accepting the invitation to attend the event.

There is rich material in the record group concerning N-YHS's installation of the Robert Fulton loan exhibition as part of New York City's 1909 Hudson-Fulton Celebration. The documents relate principally to the planning for this exhibition, including correspondence and other records of objects loaned to the exhibition. There are also some documents concerning the donation of the Hudson-Fulton Celebration Commission records (MS 314) to N-YHS.

Some of the events include documents concerning the planning for the event itself. These can be found primarily in the case of the major N-YHS anniversaries, the Bryant commemoration, and the William Bradford/Introduction of printing to New York City commemmoration. Although N-YHS's history of lecture series and other public programs do not appear prominently in the record group, there are two folders of documents concerning arrangements for lectures in the 1930s. Some documents concern the preparation of a memorial book for former Treasurer Robert Schell. There are two artifacts from the sesqui-centennial anniversary in the record group: two medals and a steel stamp.

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

One document box includes only excess copies of ephemera culled from some of the other folders in the record group; this box of redundant material is available for N-YHS staff use only.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation Note

This record group should be cited as New-York Historical Society celebratory and memorial event records (NYHS-RG 12), The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Related Archival Materials Note

This finding aid relates to just one record group of the New-York Historical Society archives. For information about the other record groups and for overall information about the archives, please see the Guide to the New-York Historical Society Archives (NYHS-RG Archives). Other record groups that are processed and available to researchers and are especially related to the New-York Historical Society celebratory and memorial event records (NYHS-RG 12) are as follows:

The New-York Historical Society management committee record group (NYHS-RG 1) holds many documents related to memorials and various events. Many of the events are referenced in the minute books and the "official papers" hold correspondence, arrangement committee notes, tickets, and other matter. Some of this documentation relates to events found in NYHS-RG 12, such as the Washington Irving commemoration, while others events found in NYHS-RG 1 are not represented in NYHS-RG 12, such as the Washington Inauguration Anniversary Commemoration (1839) and the Daniel Webster lecture (1852).

The New-York Historical Society general correspondence record group (NYHS-RG 2) includes the principal files for correspondence of all matters at N-YHS into the twentieth century. These files should be referred to for all correspondence related to events, including ticket requests, invitation replies, responses to election to event committees and delegations, and ephemera such as invitations and programs. In cases of substantial material related to a specific event, items have been grouped and/or noted in the finding aid.

The New-York Historical Society pictorial archive (NYHS-RG 5) includes the oversize seating charts for the 1854 and 1954 anniversary dinners, along with photographs related to the 1954 events. The pictorial archive also includes photographs and other images from other N-YHS exhibitions, programs, and events.

The New-York Historical Society manuscripts of lectures and addresses (NYHS-RG 11) includes the manuscript form of various anniversary addresses, memorials, lectures, and other presentations made at N-YHS over time. Among those relating specifically to NYHS-RG 12 are the toasts and other statements made at N-YHS's 50th and 100th anniversary celebrations, Charles O'Conor's comments on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the New York State Constitution, and speeches made at the receptions for Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes and DeWitt McClellan Lockman.

The New-York Historical Society ephemera record group (NYHS-RG 14) contains invitations, tickets, programs, and other print material related to N-YHS special events.

Collection processed by

Larry Weimer

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:49:16 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English

Processing Information Note

This record group was processed perhaps circa 2000, with documents transferred from original folders to archival containers. In August-September 2015, project archivist Larry Weimer made minor changes to the arrangement and provided description in a finding aid for the record group.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024