1st floor, Leah and Michael Weisberg Monumental Treasures Case
A new installation unveils an exciting acquisition: Castle Garden by Andrew Melrose. This monumental painting portrays the United States’ first immigration station, which processed over 7.5 million individuals entering the country through New York between 1855 and 1890—including the artist, who had emigrated from Scotland around 1856. Completed seven years before the Chinese Exclusion Act would bar Chinese laborers from entry to the US, his scene of global immigration incorporates both European and Chinese immigrants intermingling with New Yorkers along the Battery’s waterfront.
The Melrose painting is shown alongside other paintings from The New York Historical’s permanent collection that trace the history of Castle Garden—originally built as a naval fort during the run-up to the War of 1812—and explore the Chinese and Italian immigrant communities that made New York their home. Curated by Wendy Nālani E. Ikemoto, vice president and chief curator
Exhibitions at The New York Historical are made possible by Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.
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