PORTRAITS OF THE HISTORICAL

Portraits of The Historical is an outdoor installation celebrating the iconic changemakers represented in the collections of The New York Historical while enlivening an often-overlooked portion of the museum’s façade. Featuring figures such as Shirley Chisholm, Bill Cunningham, Clara Driscoll, and Madam CJ Walker, the installation offers a brief glimpse into their achievements and invites passersby to enter the museum to learn more.

THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL

CREDITS
Rights & Repro Manager: Jessica Glasscock
Technical Drawings: Gerhard Schlanzky

AN ARCHITECTURAL CHALLENGE 

The New York Historical occupies a quiet corner of the Upper West Side—77th and Central Park West—directly across from the American Museum of Natural History. While the Central Park West façade features ample signage and banners, the 77th Street side remained largely unadorned.

The railing of the accessibility ramp, facing the busy sidewalks of 77th Street, provided an ideal canvas. Presenting both an opportunity and a creative challenge, each of the 18 panels varied in size, and most were irregularly shaped. To accommodate this, the panels were designed slightly oversized and carefully trimmed to fit during installation.