After-Hours Curator Tour @ The New York Historical: Pets and the City

For centuries, pets have brought comfort, companionship, and a bit of chaos into New Yorkers’ lives. But how did animals go from street wanderers to beloved family members in the heart of a bustling metropolis? Get ready to explore the paw-some story of New York City’s most cherished residents — pets!

Join New York Adventure Club as we explore the Pets and the City exhibition at The New York Historical, an exhibition that explores the visual history of New Yorkers and their animal companions over the last two and a half centuries, tracing the ever-evolving relationship between Gotham’s people and its animals as the city grew increasingly urbanized and industrialized.

Led by Roberta Olson, the exhibition’s curator, our intimate after-hours experience will include:

• The essential role that animals played in early American societies, both among Indigenous peoples and settlers
• Portraits featuring pets from around the world — exotic birds, tropical fish, reptiles, and primates — common in the bustling port city
• Different roles pets have played in everything from commerce to competition
• A closer look at pet-related memorabilia from the late-19th century to early-20th century, from commercial trade cards aimed at women to children’s games and manufactured toys
• The history of working animals as seen through historic photos and contemporary gear for Seeing Eye dogs and identification badges for bomb-sniffing dogs. Horses, a main mode of transportation in earlier centuries, are also featured in paintings, photographs, and drawings
• The evolution of animal rights in New York City, including the pioneering 1866 anti-cruelty law and the founding of the ASPCA and Bide-A-Wee, as well as contemporary rescue organizations and events like Broadway Barks

See you there!

*All belongings, including purses and coats, must be left in coat check

**An accessible entrance can be found on the 77th Street side of the museum

About Pets and the City

Pets and the City explores the visual history of New Yorkers and their animal companions over the last two and a half centuries, tracing the ever-evolving relationship between Gotham’s people and its animals as the city grew increasingly urbanized and industrialized. Through a broad spectrum of works of art, objects, documents, memorabilia, and clips from film and television, the exhibition surveys the evolution of pets—from their presence among the Lenape and Haudenosaunee and the hunting culture of settlers through their insinuation into the urban family and onto the pampered pets of today, which enjoy their own public rights.

Drawn largely from The New York Historical’s collections, Pets and the City also investigates the reasons for the soaring pet population, especially after 9/11 and during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as issues surrounding pet adoption, the trafficking of exotic animals, and service animals. Curated by Roberta J.M. Olson, curator of drawings emerita.

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Categories: In-Person, Museums & Galleries