A Taste of the New York Public Library’s Unseen Culinary Collections
Tucked away in the stacks and study rooms of The New York Public Library (NYPL) you’ll find much more than books. From a lock of Edgar Allan Poe’s hair and Charles Dickens’ cat-paw letter opener, to a collection of personal papers from Dr. Maya Angelou, the Library system is full of fascinating items.
In this online experience, we'll feast our eyes on some of the most interesting culinary items culled from the collections of the New York Public Library! With the guidance of an expert NYPL staff member, we'll explore a selection of mouth-watering menus, curious cookbooks, and rare food and drink recipes.
Streaming live from inside the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, this online experience is part of a series from Atlas Obscura and NYPL created in celebration of the brand new Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures. The Polonsky Exhibition is the first permanent exhibition to showcase highlights from the Library’s collections of more than 46 million items. In this series, we’ll take a deep dive into those individual collections and explore rare literary artifacts and ephemera from the Library’s hidden corners that most people never get to see. Join us as we go behind the scenes to explore obscure personal artifacts of famous authors, legendary texts, forgotten menus, and so much more!
ZOOM!
Rebecca Federman is the Managing Research Librarian, General Research Division at the New York Public Library. Rebecca builds and manages NYPL’s scholarly electronic resources in the humanities and social sciences. She is available to assist researchers, scholars, and classes with questions about using e-resources to support their research. She also serves as the Culinary Collections librarian and co-manages the Library’s What’s on the Menu? project. In 2012, she co-curated the exhibition Lunch Hour NYC. Federman received her MLS from Pratt Institute and is completing her MA in Liberal Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center.
Once registered, you can access the Zoom room for this experience through your confirmation email or Eventbrite account. Atlas Obscura online experiences are recommended for attendees age 13+.
This Online Experience will be recorded. A temporary link to the recording will be provided in a follow-up email to all ticket holders within 72 hours after the event. Access to this recording will be available for seven days.
We provide closed captioning for all of our Online Experiences, as well as transcripts upon request. Please reach out to us at experiences@atlasobscura.com if you have any questions, requests, or access needs.
This event is one of Atlas Obscura’s Online Experiences. At Atlas Obscura, our mission has always been to inspire wonder and curiosity about the incredible world we all share. Now, more than ever, there’s a need to stay connected—not only to our sense of wonder, but to each other.
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