New York Historical Society

Get the best of American history at this inspired museum and library, which houses the finest of American art, sculpture, drawings, textiles, and more! The new Center for Women's History is an intriguing look at the power of women in society, past and present.
The Center for Women's History is the country’s first permanent, public exhibition and educational center dedicated to women’s history. Learn how women came to exercise power and bring change to the US and the world, even before they could vote.
Peruse over 2,500 American portraits, genre scenes, and landscapes in the paintings section, plus sculptures dating back to the colonial period. The drawings have been here since 1816, making this the country’s earliest public drawing collection.
George Washington's inaugural armchair and a chair from Marie Antoinette's private chambers at Versailles are just two of over 500 items in the vast furniture collection.
In the textiles section, see flags waved in every major conflict with an American presence between the Revolutionary War and World War II.