New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Material Culture

Making Ink From Oak Galls: Some History & Science

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Developing Oak Marble gall caused by the insect Andricus kollari on Quercus robur Chapeltoun, North Ayrshire, Scotland by Wikimedia user Rosser1954What do the following items have in common: the Declaration of Independence, Da Vinci’s notebooks, Bach’s musical scores, Rembrandt’s drawings, Shakespeare’s plays, and the Magna Carta?

Give up?

These examples, along with countless other documents ranging from the historically important to the more mundane, were all recorded using iron gall ink, which is made – in part – from the protrusions created after oak gall wasps lay their eggs within oak trees. [Read more…] about Making Ink From Oak Galls: Some History & Science

Historical Fasteners Letter & Document Fasteners: A Primer

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Original red tape keeping a bundle of documents togetherIn the centuries before the self-inking notary public’s stamp, U.S. government clerks and secretaries used brightly-colored silk ribbons, wax seals, and embossed paper seals attached with wafers to verify the security of important documents. [Read more…] about Historical Fasteners Letter & Document Fasteners: A Primer

Ozone & Historic Photograph Preservation

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100+ year old gelatin silver printExposure to light typically gets most of the blame for fading photographs. However, air pollution can sometimes be an even bigger cause.

The inks, pigments, and metals used in photography can chemically react with air pollutants and degrade images, even in the absence of sunlight. This is not a big problem in modern cases since the process is slow and the original digital photograph can just be reprinted. However, it’s not that simple when it comes to historic photographs with only one original copy. Protection from air pollution is something that needs to be considered to preserve them. [Read more…] about Ozone & Historic Photograph Preservation

Ashley Hopkins-Benton On LGBTQ+ History At NYS Museum

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The latest episode of Empire State Engagements features a conversation with Ashley Hopkins-Benton of the New York State Museum. She discussed her panel exhibition on the history of the Pride Center of the Capital Region, as well as her work to recover and incorporate more LGBTQ+ history into the State Museum’s content. [Read more…] about Ashley Hopkins-Benton On LGBTQ+ History At NYS Museum

Conservation of Livingston Family Portraits Underway

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Portrait of Mrs LivingstonThe Columbia County Historical Society (CCHS) has been awarded a matching Historic Preservation Grant from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, which will fund the restoration of two historically significant portraits in the CCHS Permanent Collection.

The portraits, which date to the early and mid 19th century, feature members of one of Columbia County’s most important and influential families: the Livingstons. [Read more…] about Conservation of Livingston Family Portraits Underway

Red Jacket Peace Medal Returned to Seneca Nation by Buffalo Museum

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Red Jacket 1835 wearing the peace medal received from by George WashingtonThe Red Jacket Peace Medal, an object of cultural patrimony under federal law, has been returned to the Seneca Nation by The Buffalo History Museum.

The medal, considered to be of central importance by many in the Nation, was gifted to Seneca Chief Red Jacket by President George Washington in 1792 to commemorate discussions that culminated in the Treaty of Canandaigua of 1794, in which the Seneca Nation played a crucial role. The medal was meant to be a symbol of peace, friendship, and enduring relationships among the United States and the Six Nations. [Read more…] about Red Jacket Peace Medal Returned to Seneca Nation by Buffalo Museum

New Publication Focuses on American Folk Art and Americana

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Americana InsightsAmericana Insights, a new nonprofit e-journal and multi-faceted resource center, has been launched by Jane Katcher, Americana and American folk art collector, in collaboration with David A. Schorsch, an authority on American antiques and folk art.

The digital publication is supported by an advisory board of museum and art-world professionals and edited by independent scholar, author, and curator Robert Shaw. [Read more…] about New Publication Focuses on American Folk Art and Americana

Concrete, Plywood and Soviet Spies

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Walter Gropius Bauhaus building in DessauIn fiction, poetry or song, houses are treated as living organisms. They are noble, respectable, or infamous. There are houses of high rank and those of low repute – houses have human characteristics and their individual biographies.

The Isokon Building in Hampstead tells a striking tale of recent historical events. At the time of completion, it was one of the few modernist dwellings in London’s cityscape; the block of flats housed a number of notable refugees from Nazi Germany; almost simultaneously it served as a recruitment office for Soviet spies. Crucial aspects of post-war American cultural and political developments originated in a few flats in this leafy corner of North West London. [Read more…] about Concrete, Plywood and Soviet Spies