The collection captures an important portion of New York City's past, which is as colorful and vibrant as its present. What began as New Amsterdam, a rather insignificant Dutch outpost, became New York in 1664. Under English rule the city took on greater importance as part of Britain's vast trade system and as a strategic military base for conflicts with France for control of North America. By 1771 the city's population stood at over 20,000. In 1785 the Continental Congress selected New York as its meeting site. During this time Fraunces Tavern served as offices for the Departments of War, Treasury, and Foreign Affairs. With the adoption of the Constitution, the city became the first Federal capital in 1789. The following year the capital moved temporarily to Philadelphia. By that time New York was well on its way to becoming, if not the political center of the nation, America's capital of commerce and culture.
In addition to numerous maps, prints, and newspapers, the Museum owns such rare pieces of New York's past as a panel from Washington's inaugural coach and a large, wooden water pipe.