#mcnycollections

It’s #NationalRollerCoasterDay! Here’s a picture of a coaster at the Fort George Amusement Park in 1908. Never heard of it? Fort George Amusement Park opened in 1895 and was located in what is now the north end of Highbridge Park between 190th and 192nd Streets and Amsterdam Avenue. The park was, like so many at the time, at the terminus of a trolley line, specifically the Third Avenue line. During its heyday this wonderland boasted two Ferris wheels, three roller coasters, nine saloons, a pony track, hotels, a casino, shooting galleries, a tunnel boat ride, two music halls, fortune tellers and all the amusement park treats you could imagine. Unfortunately, In 1914, Fort George Park closed as a result of a massive fire. Photograph Information: 91.69.27 Seidman Photo Studio Seidman Photo Service Fort George Amusement House. DATE:1908 Amsterdam Avenue and 190th Street.

#Repost @museumofcityny with @repostapp ・・・ You may not know this, but today is #SkyscraperAppreciationDay. It was decided that August 10th should be the day to commemorate these incredible structures because the Chrysler Building’s architect William Van Alen was born #onthisday in 1883. A lifelong New Yorker, Van Alen was born in Brooklyn and attended @prattinstitute. The story behind his work on the Chrysler building is an interesting one. The completion of the building was received with mixed reactions. Van Alen was hailed as a "Doctor of Altitude but his building was described by some critics as not being a significant design. Unfortunately Van Alen had failed to enter into a contract with Walter Chrysler when he received the building’s commission. He requested payment of 6% of the building's construction budget, the standard fee at the time. Chrysler refused so Van Alen sued him and won. However, the fallout from the lawsuit coupled with the Great Depression meant that Van Alen’s career as an architect was effectively over. #OnlyinNY . . . Photograph Information: X2010.11.2343 [Chrysler Building.] DATE:ca. 1940 . . . #otd #skyscrapers #chyslerbuilding #mcnycollections #nychistory #WilliamVanAlen

Photograph Information: 49.282.79 Berenice Abbott (1898-1991) Vista from West Street DATE: March 23, 1938

Day 4 of #MuseumWeek and today the theme is #HeritageMW, a day to celebrate the museum’s cultural heritage. Since we share a lot of our collections on Instagram, we decided to switch things up and go for a more unusual throwback. So, here’s the annual report from 1970 featuring a very ‘70s artistic depiction of our collections. Featuring a Dutch tile, a Girandole mirror, a ship model that is probably supposed to be the Half Moon, a silver tankard, and the fire engine from Americus Engine Company #6 (Boss Tweed’s fire company). The 1970s were a very colorful time and clearly the museum was no exception. #throwback #throwbackthursday #tbt #tbthursday #history #1970s #mcnycollections #bosstweed #rainbows #colors #colorful (at Museum of the City of New York)

We're kicking of #MuseumWeek with a behind the scenes peek into our photo collections in honor of today's Museum Week theme, #secretsmw. Want to know what these boxes contain? Check out our collections portal by clicking the link in our profile. #behindthescenes #mcnycollections #Museum #museums #nycmuseums #secrets (at Museum of the City of New York)

Happy #InternationalWomensDay! This picture shows Bella Abzug (left) and Donna Shalala (right). Abzug was a lawyer, U.S. Representative, social activist, leader of the Women's Movement, co-founder of the National Women's Political Caucus, and lifelong New Yorker. Shalala is the former Secretary of Health and Human Services under Pres. Bill Clinton, was president of the University of Miami, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. That was a mouthful, but these two have extensive resumes. Here's a #funfact. Did you know that international women's day is the anniversary of a protest for better working conditions that took place in #NYC? 15,000 women marched #onthisday 105 years ago. Photograph Information: Hal Reiff untitled [Bella Abzug and Donna Shalala in graduate cap and gown] DATE:1980 Portrait of Bella Abzug with Donna Shalala, both in graduate cap and gowns.

“Women have been trained to speak softly and carry a lipstick. Those days are over.” Bella Abzug “I've spent my whole life with people underestimating me.” Donna Shalala Happy #InternationalWomensDay! This picture shows Bella Abzug (left) and Donna Shalala (right). Abzug was a lawyer, U.S. Representative, social activist, leader of the Women's Movement, co-founder of the National Women's Political Caucus, and lifelong New Yorker. Shalala is the former Secretary of Health and Human Services under Pres. Bill Clinton, was president of the University of Miami, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. That was a mouthful, but these two have extensive resumes. Hers a #funfact. Did you know that international women's day is the anniversary of a protest for better working conditions that took place in #NYC? 15,000 women marched #onthisday 105 years ago. Photograph Information: Hal Reiff untitled [Bella Abzug and Donna Shalala in graduate cap and gown] DATE:1980 Portrait of Bella Abzug with Donna Shalala, both in graduate cap and gowns. #womenshistorymonth #womenshistory #women #history #BellaAbzug #DonnaShalala #iwd2016 #activistny #mcnycollections (at New York, New York)

Continuing on the theme of Women’s History Month, here’s a picture from Berenice Abbott. Born in Springfield, Ohio, Berenice Abbott came to New York City at the age of 20, then began her career as a photographer during an extended time in Paris, where she worked as an assistant to photographer Man Ray. Returning to New York in 1929, she had her first solo museum exhibition at our museum in 1934. Our online collections boasts over 600 negatives and multiple versions of 300+ images printed by the photographer for her “Changing New York” series which was created by her for us under the Federal Art Project. Check them out by following the link in our profile and heading to our collections. Photograph Information: Berenice Abbott (1898-1991) Federal Art Project Tempo of the City II DATE: September 6, 1938 Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. #BereniceAbbott #womenshistorymonth #5womenartists #history #womenshistory #blackanwhitephotography #newyork #nyc #newyorkcity #5thavenue #manray #mcnycollections #quintessentiallynyc #federalrtproject #1930s #waybackwednesday (at 42Nd St / Fifth Ave)