News & Features

We Love New York

From the days of Henry Hudson to modern times, New York City has been a muse, a vibrant and diverse subject, and a beacon for creativity.

A Snapshot of Life on the Titanic

New to the Bridgeman archive, Father Frank Browne's photographs constitute a valuable chronicle of life onboard the Titanic before tragedy struck.

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In Memoriam

2011 saw the passing of many 20th century art giants.

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New Year = New You

Inspiration to stick to those nagging New Year's resolutions, from the Bridgeman archive.

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JPU244026 Come Touch What You Cannot Feel, 2000 (mixed media) by Jeff Pullen (b.1948)
JPU244026 Come Touch What You Cannot Feel, 2000 (mixed media) by Jeff Pullen (b.1948)
NYH192074 Redraft of The Castello Plan, New Amsterdam in 1660, 1916 by John Wolcott Adams (1874-1925)/ Collection of the New-York Historical Society, USA

New Amsterdam

Henry Hudson (d. c. 1611), the English explorer, set out to find a Northeastern Passage to India under the Dutch East India Company. Instead, he came across New York and on September 11th 1609, Henry Hudson sailed up, what is now the Hudson River. Over the course of the next four years, the Dutch surveyed the new found land and eventually claimed possession. A town was raised, located on the island of Manhattan, called New Amsterdam. New Amsterdam became one of the main sources of fur trading, inviting some of the first immigrants to settle in America. 2009 celebrates the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage. The Dutch have reportedly spent $10 million on various festivities for the anniversary  year. Celebrations of the Dutch ties include Vermeer’s masterpiece, The Milkmaid, on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

New-York Historical Society and Museum of the City of New York

Bridgeman represents both the New-York Historical Society and the Museum of the City of New York. These major collections help to illustrate over four centuries of American, and specifically New York, history. The New-York Historical Society, founded in 1804 is the city's oldest museum, with over 4,000 pieces of history on permanent display. Bridgeman currently holds over 800 images from this collection, from maps to artifacts, portraits of prominent Americans to visual accounts of the colonies' struggle for independence and 19th and 20th century depictions of the city and its inhabitants.

The Museum of the City of New York celebrates what makes New York City such a special place in the world. This diverse collection hosts a wide range of exhibitions, from the pressing issue of New York's sustainability to showing how New York came to be such a fashionable city. Bridgeman holds almost 200 images from this collection including scenes of daily life published by Currier and Ives to Childe Hassam's early 20th century paintings of the city.

NYH258325 Macy's, Herald Square, New York City, c. 1910 (b/w photo) by G.P. & Son Hall (1876-1914)
Collection of the New-York Historical Society, USA
MNY90156 A Birds-Eye View of the Great New York and Brooklyn Bridge and fireworks on opening night, 1883 (colour litho)/ Museum of the City of New York
NYH188434 Winter on Wall Street, 1832 (colour litho) by American School/ Collection of the New-York Historical Society
MNY87939 Washington Square, New York, c.1900 (oil on canvas) by Paul Cornoyer (1864-1923)/ Museum of the City of New York

Contemporary Artists

Bridgeman represents many contemporary artists to whom New York City is the muse, setting and subject matter. Check out the works by Charlotte Wahl, Bill Jacklin, Anthony Butera, Amelia Lancaster, Frederick Brosen, Stephen Spiller, Julian Barrow, Max Ferguson and Jeff Pullen just to name a few.

BJA150516 Skating Rink, Central Park I, 1989 (oil on canvas) by Bill Jacklin/ Private Collection
RBR167443 Engine 55, Broome Street, 1998 (w/c on paper) by Frederick Brosen/ Private Collections