New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

sculpture

The Animal Artists of Woodstock

by 1 Comment

Rosella Hartman paintingjpegThe Historical Society of Woodstock’s new exhibition, “Rosella Hartman and the Animal Sculptors of Woodstock,” celebrates the life and career of Rosella Hartman (1894-1993), who for almost seventy years made her home in Woodstock, New York.

The exhibition also touches on the work of the Woodstock sculptors Grace Mott Johnson (1882-1967), Hunt Diederich (1884-1953), Carl Walters (1881-1955), John B. Flannagan (1895-1942), and Hartman’s husband Paul Fiene (1899-1949), who joined her as part of a group of twentieth century American artists who were devoted to depicting animal subjects. [Read more…] about The Animal Artists of Woodstock

Patience Wright: A Revolutionary NY Artist in England

by Leave a Comment

The Painter's Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American RevolutionThe American Revolution was not only fought militarily in the colonies, artists also played an integral role. In The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution (Harvard University Press, 2025) Dr. Zara Anishanslin highlights the intertwined lives of three of them: Robert Edge Pine, Prince Demah and Patience Wright.

Of particular interest to New Yorkers, Wright was born a Quaker (and a relative of the Townsend family) in Oyster Bay, Nassau County, on Long Island. She had a talent for sculpting and her medium was the wax figure. Her museum in the city of New York was a popular attraction, featuring lifelike replicas of notable figures. [Read more…] about Patience Wright: A Revolutionary NY Artist in England

Driftwood Sculptor Caitlin Roben’s Artistic Evolution

by Leave a Comment

Driftwood sculptor Caitlin RobenIf you’ve always been drawn to the timeless beauty of driftwood, you’ll surely appreciate the exquisite elegance of Hope Falls (in northern Fulton County, NY) artist Caitlin Roben’s driftwood sculptures. Roben’s work embodies the alluring mystique that beachcombers and river walkers alike savor when they stumble upon a piece of aged wood, worn smooth by the forces of nature.

A lifelong driftwood scavenger, Roben grew up on the banks of the Mohawk River in Glenville, Schenectady County. “With access to the water from my parents’ house, I was always collecting interesting pieces. Going out and searching for driftwood is fun and definitely part of the inspiration for my artistic process,” she said. [Read more…] about Driftwood Sculptor Caitlin Roben’s Artistic Evolution

‘Adirondack Imaginarium’ Debuts at Albany Airport

by 1 Comment

Adirondack Imaginarium Children's Play Area at Albany Airport, 2025Albany International Airport has installed a new children’s play area — the Adirondack Imaginarium — created in collaboration with The Wild Center, the Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center in Onchiota, and artist Gracelee Lawrence.

The airport’s new thirteen-hundred-square-feet children’s play area — the Adirondack Imaginarium — celebrates the natural and cultural beauty of New York’s North Country and the Adirondacks. [Read more…] about ‘Adirondack Imaginarium’ Debuts at Albany Airport

Manhattan’s Statue to Unrepentant Racist Samuel Sullivan Cox

by 2 Comments

Samuel Sullivan Cox statue in Tompkins Square Park, ManhattanThere is a statue of Samuel Sullivan Cox in Manhattan’s Tompkins Square Park. The statue originally was near Cox’s home on East 12th Street but in 1924 it was moved.

A plaque accompanying the statue reads “Samuel Sullivan Cox, the Letter Carrier’s Friend, Erected in Grateful and Loving Memory of his Services in Congress by the Letter Carriers of New York, his Home, and of the United States, his Country.” [Read more…] about Manhattan’s Statue to Unrepentant Racist Samuel Sullivan Cox

New York City Monuments of Black Americans: A History and Guide

by Leave a Comment

New York City Monuments of Black Americans“New York City got its first monument of a real Black American in 1946 when the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in the Bronx dedicated a bronze bust to Booker T. Washington,” David Felsen writes in the introduction to New York City Monuments of Black Americans: A History and Guide (History Press, 2025). “Behind every first is a story of triumph over adversity and exclusion.”

A 2021 study of the nation’s monuments found that 50% of the top 50 most memorialized people enslaved other people and that only 10% of the top 50 most memorialized people are Black/Indigenous. Just six percent of the Top 50 nationwide are women. It wasn’t until 2007, that the city dedicated its first monument to a Black woman, Harriet Tubman. [Read more…] about New York City Monuments of Black Americans: A History and Guide

From Crown Point to Boston: The 1920s Henry Knox Trail

by 3 Comments

A unique Henry Knox Trail Marker Wayland, MA placed in 1967In 1926, New York State Historian Alexander C. Flick recommended to the State’s Advisory Board on Battlefields and Historic Sites, created earlier in the 1920s to oversee the marking and potential acquisition of historic sites, particularly those related to the American Revolution, that the historic route of Henry Knox‘s “Noble Train of Artillery” be marked for the public.

A series of stone monuments with bronze plaques were planned by a committee from New York and Massachusetts to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Knox’s expedition. The project – dubbed the Henry Knox Trail – was one of the earliest heritage trails in the United States. [Read more…] about From Crown Point to Boston: The 1920s Henry Knox Trail

Upper Room, Battery Park City’s Popular First Public Art, Being Torn Down

by 2 Comments

Ned Smyth's sculptural art piece, Upper Room, Battery Park City's first public art piece (courtesy Roosevelt Island Historical Society)Battery Park City’s first public art piece, “Upper Room” by Ned Smyth, is set to be demolished for a climate resiliency project.

“The sculptural court at the intersection of Albany Street and the Hudson River esplanade debuted in 1986 and has long been a favorite venue for birthday parties, chess games, and impromptu potluck suppers,” according to Matthew Fenton writing in Lower Manhattan’s The Broadsheet. [Read more…] about Upper Room, Battery Park City’s Popular First Public Art, Being Torn Down

A New Guide to the Fabulous Fountains of New York

by Leave a Comment

Fabulous Fountains of New YorkNew York City’s fountains are more than just decorative features — they are historical landmarks, cultural icons, and dynamic works of art that shape the city’s landscape.

In Fabulous Fountains of New York (Fordham University Press, 2025) award-winning author and native New Yorker Stephanie Azzarone takes readers on a captivating journey through the artistry, history, and hidden stories behind these remarkable waterworks. [Read more…] about A New Guide to the Fabulous Fountains of New York

Solomon Northup at Saratoga Spa State Park

by 1 Comment

The Solomon Northup Hope Out of Darkness statue on view in front of the Lincoln Bathhouse in July 2025A statue of abolitionist and writer Solomon Northup, whose story of being kidnapped into slavery was told in his memoir and the Academy Award-winning film Twelve Years a Slave, has provided a space for reflection at Saratoga Spa State Park this summer.

The 13-foot bronze “Hope Out of Darkness” sculpture was unveiled during a recent ceremony attended by Northup descendants, area officials and community members on the lawn in front of the Lincoln Bathhouse. [Read more…] about Solomon Northup at Saratoga Spa State Park

Remembering the British Prison Ship Martyrs of New York City

by 4 Comments

Map of Manhattan - New York City in 1776About 11,500 Americans lost their lives aboard British prison ships from 1776 to 1783. More soldiers, sailors and civilians died aboard the prison ships than in all of the Revolutionary War battles combined. It started with the Battle of Brooklyn (the Battle of Long Island).

The City of New York played an important role throughout the American Revolution. Not only was the city an important port of commerce, providing supplies and food to the Continental Army, but it served as a central communications route between the northern and southern states. [Read more…] about Remembering the British Prison Ship Martyrs of New York City

OZmosis: A Compendium of The Wizard of Oz’s Artistic Influence

by Leave a Comment

OZmosis: The Enduring Popularity & Artistic Influence of The Wizard of OzNew York native Frank Baum‘s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has been inspiring artists – filmmakers, political cartoonists, poets, sculptors, songwriters – for more than 100 years.

OZmosis: The Enduring Popularity & Artistic Influence of The Wizard of Oz (2025) by Noel Holston collects and annotates works from tin-can sculpture to movie musicals. It’s an illuminating and amusing compendium. [Read more…] about OZmosis: A Compendium of The Wizard of Oz’s Artistic Influence

Brooklyn’s Triumphal Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch Restored

by Leave a Comment

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch in Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park, BrooklynFamed architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed Grand Army Plaza as the grand entrance to Prospect Park at the time of the Brooklyn park’s creation in 1867.

In 1892, the plaza became the site of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch, dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives defending the United States during the Civil War. [Read more…] about Brooklyn’s Triumphal Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch Restored

“The Hiker” at Saratoga Springs Memorializes Spanish-American War Service

by Leave a Comment

"The Hiker" Spanish American War memorial sculpture at Saratoga SpringsThe Saratoga Springs community is home to fine memorial art devoted to those who were involved in the Spanish-American War.  The largest of these tributes was dedicated on May 2, 1923 in Greenridge Cemetery, and provides a tangible remembrance of those times and conditions. The sculpture, known as “The Hiker,” was created by noted artist Allen G. Newman (1875-1940) who was born in New York City and studied at the National Academy of Design.

The term “hiker” was used to describe the troops of the Spanish-American War (and later Philippine-American War) campaigns, similar to the term “doughboy” in World War I, and “GI Joe” in World War II. [Read more…] about “The Hiker” at Saratoga Springs Memorializes Spanish-American War Service

The John McGraw Game: ‘Greatest Sporting Event in the History of Cortland County’

by 1 Comment

John McGraw Monument in Truxton NY (Bill Orzell)The John J. McGraw Monument in Truxton, New York is a nice sculpture, dignified and uncomplicated.

Yet it captures a great deal of what might be described as the essence of baseball, with the man himself portrayed in bas-relief on a truncated obelisk wearing his New York Giants pinstriped flannels and cap. [Read more…] about The John McGraw Game: ‘Greatest Sporting Event in the History of Cortland County’

Peanut Leap Cascade: The Lawrence–Tonetti Waterfall in Palisades, NY

by Leave a Comment

snedens landing and peanut leap cascadeOn the April 2025 episode of Crossroads of Rockland History the topic of conversation was the Lawrence–Tonetti Waterfall in Palisades, NY.

Also known as Peanut Leap Cascade, this natural waterfall was beautifully enhanced by sculptors Mary Lawrence and Francois Tonetti in the early 20th century by creating stream-fed pools, sculptural fountainheads, and a Roman-style pergola on the shore of the Hudson River. [Read more…] about Peanut Leap Cascade: The Lawrence–Tonetti Waterfall in Palisades, NY

The City Beautiful Movement & Audrey Marie Munson

by 4 Comments

AMunson representing “Duty” and “Sacrifice,” monument commemorating the sinking of USS Maine, Columbus Circle, 1913n allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which symbolic figures and imagery are used to represent abstract ideas. From ancient Greek art onward, artists have employed allegory to convey moral or religious messages through visual signs that require interpretation to uncover deeper meanings.

Sculpture has for long been seen as the perfect medium for its exploration and expression. More than anything else, public sculpture connects New York City with Paris. [Read more…] about The City Beautiful Movement & Audrey Marie Munson

George Pratt, Lake George’s ‘Mohawk Warrior’ & Saratoga Springs

by 1 Comment

The Indian or Mohawk Warrior by Alexander Phimister Proctor at Lake George Battlefield Park Historic District in 2020I was pleased to recently learn through the New York Almanack and Lake George Mirror about the planned restoration of historic sculptures at the Lake George Battlefield Park.

I have a special interest in the “Mohawk Warrior” sculpture produced by Alexander Phimister Proctor and the unique history surrounding this monumental work.

This sculpture was a gift from George D. Pratt, who commissioned the artist. Interestingly, the sculpture was conceived as a component of the planned conception for the New York State Reservation in Saratoga Springs (now known as Saratoga Spa State Park). [Read more…] about George Pratt, Lake George’s ‘Mohawk Warrior’ & Saratoga Springs

Lake George Battlefield Park Historic Statues Being Restored

by 1 Comment

Lake George Battlefield Park signThe 85-year-old bronze and granite monument to Father Isaac Jogues in Lake George’s Battlefield Park is being restored at a cost of $16,980. The refurbishing of the Park’s two other bronzes – the 1903 sculpture of Sir William Johnson with the Mohawk chieftain King Hendrick (Hendrick Theyanoguin) and the 1921 statue of an anonymous Native American – will begin this spring, said John DiNuzzo, the president of the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance. [Read more…] about Lake George Battlefield Park Historic Statues Being Restored

Collecting for Posterity: America’s First Curators

by Leave a Comment

St Dominic woodcutCurators are the keepers or custodians of a museum, library or other collection. The term is derived from the Latin curare, meaning to take care. Its linguistic history is intriguing, but the connotation of “guardianship” was maintained throughout.

In Ancient Rome, curatores were civil servants in charge of public works, overseeing the Empire’s aqueducts, bathhouses and sewers. From the early fifteenth century onward to the medieval period, the curatus was a parish priest devoted to the care (cura) of minors, “lunatics,” and other vulnerable people. During the 1660s, individuals charged with the care and preservation of precious collections of art, books and artifacts (initially at private estates) were referred to as curators. [Read more…] about Collecting for Posterity: America’s First Curators

We Need Your Help Now More Than Ever

New York Almanack receives no public funds.

It’s supported only by readers like you.

Please give today (a monthly recurring gift is best)

PayPal

Venmo

Patreon

Buy Me A Cup of Coffee

CashApp

Use your bank’s “bill pay” option (or just send a check)

Thanks for your support! These are difficult times. Without your support we cannot publish the Almanack.

*Donations are not tax deductible.

(Click the X in the top right corner this box to not see this message again for 7 days).