Despite the pleasures of a three-day weekend, the second Monday in October has a highly contentious history. Although it was not celebrated at the federal level until 1934, the commemoration of Christopher Columbus’s first voyage became widespread at a time of intense anti-immigrant—particularly anti-Asian—sentiment. As historian Malinda Maynor Lowery put it, in the late 1800s,…
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Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Honoring Caroline Parker, Haudenosaunee Artist
October 8, 2021
Despite the pleasures of a three-day weekend, the second Monday in October has a highly contentious history. Although it was not celebrated at the federal level until 1934, the commemoration of Christopher Columbus’s first voyage became widespread at a time of intense anti-immigrant—particularly anti-Asian—sentiment. As historian Malinda Maynor Lowery put it, in the late 1800s,…
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“Look for the Union Label”: A History of the ILGWU’s Iconic Jingle
April 24, 2019
When we set out to curate a show on the history of women’s work and organizing in the garment industry, we started, as we always do, by digging through our own archives at the New-York Historical Society. Early on, we found a handful of giveaway items—”swag”—from the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) in our…
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Teaching Women’s History: A Loyalist Lady’s Account of the Battle of Lexington and Concord
April 17, 2019
One of the best parts of working on Women & the American Story (a.k.a. WAMS, our curriculum guide in women’s history) is stumbling upon documents that can (and should!) be easily integrated into the standard US history curriculum. My most recent find of this nature is Anne Hulton’s letter describing the Battle of Lexington and…
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Teaching Women’s History: WAMS is here!
March 26, 2019
Women and the American Story Women & the American Story (WAMS), our brand-new, completely free curriculum website, launched on International Women’s Day. After over a year of research, archival treasure hunting, writing, workshopping with teachers, and lesson piloting, we’re thrilled to share the first two units of the ten-unit curriculum project with the world. As…
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Finding Women in the Archives: Charlotte Perkins Gilman and The Forerunner
March 13, 2019
Mainstream literature written for women in the nineteenth century reflected expectations about how women should think. Dime novels with titles like All for Love of a Fair Face, The Story of a Wedding Ring and The Unseen Bridegroom littered the shelves of bookshops. Male editors assumed women could not possibly want to read serious non-fiction, particularly…
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Women of the ILGWU: Aileen Clarke Hernandez
February 27, 2019
On February 22, the Center for Women’s History at New-York Historical Society unveiled Ladies’ Garments, Women’s Work, Women’s Activism. This special installation on our 4th Floor that highlights the work of women organizers in the garment trades and their role in shaping women’s movements across the 20th century. The exhibit offers brief glimpses into the lives of…
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