400 years ago the sign would have read: Welcome to Manahatta, Nieuw-Amsterdam. That was in April 1609 when Henry Hudson sailed up the river that today bears his name, into a little island locally called Manahatta or "Island of Many Hills" by its inhabitants the Manahates and Wiechquaseck Indians.
In observation of the 400th anniversary of the Hudson exploration of New York City, the Museum of the City of New York has opened two exhibitions, one (Manahatta/Manhattan) that reconstructs the natural history of Manhattan, as it existed before Hudson arrived and another (Amsterdam/New Amsterdam The Worlds of Henry Hudson) which captures the voyage and the colonization of the city.
The Dutch influence is apparent with many of the City's place names like Broadway from the Dutch Brede weg, Brooklyn from Breukelen, Harlem from Haarlem, Flushing from Vlissing or Staten Island from Staten Eylandt. Wall Street was a wall built by the Dutch across the north side of Manhattan in 1600 to keep the English out, hence the name.
Two years ago while walking the streets of Amsterdam I felt very much at home seeing canal houses with outside stoops and railings, and the interior graced with spiral-shaped balustrades. The stoops derived from the Dutch "stoeps" which means veranda and the handsomely crafted railings, prominent and an iconic feature of many New York City townhomes found in the West Village, East Harlem and Brooklyn Heights reflect the Dutch heritage.
Below is the staircase leading to the second floor one-man show of paintings by Andrew Berrien Jones entitled Stoops of Manhattan: Railings and Shadows, in keeping with the current theme of the exhibition at the museum.
Ironwork artisty as painted by Jones
Unrelated but part of the permanent collection of the Museum are the Doll Houses and the Toy Gallery. Toys small and large give a little history of childhood. It's a story in itself of toys dating back to 1769, doll houses complete with furnishings and all manufactured in the city. The Stettheimer Doll House of the 1920's has a miniature art gallery of original paintings and sculptures of the artists of that period.
The Museum of the City of New York, with it's small but rich collection is not overwhelming. Located on 103rd and Fifth Avenue in East Harlem and overlooking the Conservatory Garden of Central Park, it is a peaceful retreat for anyone wanting a piece of history or a trip back to childhood days.
