Staten Island Historical Society Launches Online Collection Database

The Staten Island Historical Society has announced the launch of its Online Collections Database featuring over 100 selections from the extensive clothing collection at Historic Richmond Town. The Online Collections Database enables virtual visitors to study selected highlights in addition to the objects on view in museum galleries and historic house settings. This new resource can be visited by using the New! Online Collections Database link found on the home page of Historic Richmond Town's website.

Objects that are featured on the website include women's dresses and wedding gowns, men's and women's military uniforms, infant's and toddler's dresses, and women's petticoats and other undergarments. The styles and periods represented range from Colonial American, through the Civil War era, and onward to the 21st century. Designer fashions, occupational clothing, and sports attire can all be found, and the stories of individual wearers add human interest to the artifacts.

In all, the Staten Island Historical Society's clothing collection contains approximately 7,900 items of men's, women's, and children's clothing and accessories. According to Chief Curator Maxine Friedman, "We chose clothing as the first portion of the museum's holdings to be made available digitally, due to strong scholarly interest and also because viewers benefit from seeing clothing mounted as it would appear on the human body. Online access also protects the fragile original materials from the risks of long-term display or repeated handling." Ms. Friedman led a project team of several curators and historians at each photo shoot, ensuring the pieces were handled with utmost care and presented in a historically appropriate manner. Future plans call for collections of furniture, ceramics, and art to be added to the website as the online collection grows.

The Society's collections tell the story of the American experience through the lives of Staten Islanders. Portions of the collection are displayed at Historic Richmond Town, New York City's historic village and museum complex (441 Clarke Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10306). The Online Collections Database was made possible by a generous grant from The Coby Foundation, in partnership with The Historic House Trust of New York City. Images for the Online Collections Database were created by V. Amessé Photography.

To visit Historic Richmond Town's home page: http://www.historicrichmondtown.org/home

To visit the new Online Collections Database: http://www.historicrichmondtown.org/collections

Pictured in photo: Man's military uniform, ca. 1775-1805, consisting of a wool coat, fringed epaulets, waistcoat, leather breeches, and tricorn hat; inscribed with the name of original owner W. H. Gorseline of Newburgh, New York and possibly worn during the American Revolution. This uniform was presented to the Staten Island Historical Society in 1940 by the Friendship Council, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, Port Richmond, Staten Island.

Key Members of the Online Collections Database Project Team

Maxine Friedman, Staten Island Historical Society Chief Curator: Maxine Friedman joined the staff as Chief Curator in 1990. She has an M.A. in Early American Culture from the University of Delaware's Winterthur Program and a B.A. in Art History from SUNY Binghamton. In her twenty years at the Historical Society, Ms. Friedman has successfully completed many collection management projects and created numerous interpretive exhibitions. She also has extensive experience working with artifact collections in previous positions at the Fraunces Tavern Museum, the New Jersey State Museum, and the Passaic County Historical Society.

SaraH Clark, Staten Island Historical Society Associate Curator: SaraH Clark has been Associate Curator since 1989. She holds a B.A. in Archaeology from the University at Albany and pursued graduate studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she studied under noted fashion historian Valerie Steele. While she enjoys creating traditional exhibitions, Ms. Clark also has a growing interest in the uses of technology for the interpretation of museum objects.

Lorraine Danischewski, Clothing and Textile Historian: Lorraine Danischewki is an independent consultant working with museums, organizations, and individuals to research and create historically accurate reproduction clothing and textiles for use in exhibitions and public programs. In addition to the Online Collections Database, some of her recent projects have included researching and making reproduction 1850s dresses for interpretive staff at Sunnyside, Washington Irving's Home in Tarrytown NY, and reproduction clothing ca. 1910 for a school program at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island.

Venturo (Vinnie) Amessé, Photographer: Vinnie Amessé has been a professional photographer since 1985, and his clients include a wide variety of organizations, businesses, and individuals. He has a B. S. in photography from City University of New York, and he has taught college courses on photography. In 2002-2003 Mr. Amessé worked with SIHS staff to create the exhibition "Indelible Memories," which documented individuals who chose tattoos as a way to memorialize the events of September 11, 2001.

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Historic Richmond Town

The Staten Island Historical Society operates Historic Richmond Town, New York City's historic village and museum complex. Historic Richmond Town is comprised of more than 25 homes and public buildings, including the Voorlezer's House, a National Landmark building dated to the 1690s; the Third County Courthouse, built in 1837; and P.S. 28, an elementary school built in 1907. Together, these buildings recreate the history of over 300 years of continuous residence on Staten Island. Located in the heart of Richmond County, Historic Richmond Town is a 15-minute drive from all bridges and a 30-minute ride from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal on the S74 bus.

Visitors to Historic Richmond Town can tour furnished historic structures as well as the exhibition galleries in the Historical Museum. The museum features the exhibitions Made on Staten Island, which presents the Island's industrial and social history; TOYS!, which explores the many ways that children learn about themselves and their world through toys; and Bringing Up Baby: Children's Furniture and Family Life, which explores centuries of childrearing in American homes.

The mission of the Staten Island Historical Society is to create opportunities for the public to explore the diversity of the American experience, especially that of Staten Island and its neighboring communities from the colonial period to the present day. Historic Richmond Town is a joint project of the independent Staten Island Historical Society and the City of New York through the Department of Cultural Affairs, and is a member of the Historic House Trust.