The New York Public Library

Originally, I had no plans to go into the The New York Public Library. It was located right next to Bryant Park and it was my mother who requested to go inside. They ended up having a Treasures exhibit similar to the one in The British Library. It was absolutely extraordinary!

Pāli, Buddhist prayer boards - 18th century 

Siyer-i Nebi (Life of the Prophet), Illuminated manuscript 1594-1595

 

The third of six volumes, the books were made for Sultan Murād III of Istanbul. The illustration depicts the Prophet Muhammad riding his mare and escorted by winged angels. The Prophet’s face has been whitened out according to tradition. 

Cuneiform tablets from Iraq, 3rd-2nd millennia BCE

Mahzor, Illuminated manuscript 14th century 

A Jewish prayer book to be used on holy days. The illustration contains a hunting scene with elements common in medieval book design. 

Nisho Tenshokodaijin senko jidai sho (A collection of the Divine Progress Through the Ages of Tenshokodaijin), 1450

The scroll records religious rituals which take place during an emperor’s reign at irregular intervals. 

Astronomicum Caesareum (Imperial Astronomy), 1540

A remarkable book full of elaborate moving discs that performed astronomical calculations. 

“My Bondage and My Freedom” by Frederick Douglass,  1856

A biography of Fredrick Douglass’s early life as a slave and his later life as a freeman and abolitionist.

First edition of “The Star Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key, 1814

“Join or Die, Symbol of the Colonies”, published by the Pennsylvania Gazette, 1754

Muslin painting by Unknown Lakota artist, 1880-1920

The Triumph of Maximilian (Triumphal Arch) by Albrecht Dürer

I came across this breathtaking print by my favorite artist Albrecht Dürer, which I had never seen before. It was commissioned by Emperor Maximilian to display his ancestry and accomplishments. The piece consists of over 200 individual prints to create the whole image. It was one of the largest prints ever produced and took Dürer and a team of assistants over two years to complete. I was awestruck by its scope and complexity. 

Sketchbook no.4 by Ariyoshi Kondo, 1834-1840

Eruption of Mount Vesuvius of 1779 by Jean Baptiste Chapuy, 1785-1790 

Manuscript of “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” by Mark Twain, 1887

Sketches for Piano Trio in B-Flat Major, op. 97 (the “Archduke Trio”) by Ludwig van Beethoven, 1811

Poster for the Thêàtre Sarah Bernhardt production of Tragique histoire d’Hamlet, prince de Danemark, 1899 and Poster for the Thêàtre de la Renaissance production of Lorenzaccio, 1896 - both by Alphonse Mucha

Winnie-the-Pooh and Friends, 1921

 

The original stuffed animals purchased from Harrods department store in London that would inspire the creation of Winnie-the-Pooh.

First printing of the King James Bible, 1611

Biblia Latina by Johannes Gutenberg, 1455

A bible printed by Johannes Gutenberg and his revolutionary movable metal type. This was the first copy brought to the Americas in 1847. 

Tickhill Psalter, Illuminated manuscript 1310

Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence, 1776

William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. Published according to the True Originall Copies, 1623

Musée des dame et des demoiselles (Museum of women and girls), 1825