By Prakriti Dewan
The Polonsky Exhibition at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building of the New York Public Library showcases how history and human creativity are preserved over time. The exhibition is divided into nine core sections, each highlighting different themes. One of the highlights is the celebration of the 100th birthday of the beloved character Winnie-the-Pooh. Through this exhibition, we can get a glimpse of stories about the past and learn about our ancestors’ experiences across generations.
BEGINNING
This section showcases efforts to advance knowledge and promote progress. An 18th-century oil portrait of Benjamin Franklin by Joseph-Siffred Duplessis, which served as the main reference for his image on the $100 bill, is displayed alongside Opera di Bartolomeo Scappi and Protest against the Bill to Repeal the American Stamp Act, featuring personal handwritten notes by Franklin himself in 1766. On the right is a 85-character Cherokee Syllabary developed by Sequoyah, completing a visual showcase of revolutionary communication systems.
BELIEF
This section focuses on sacred art and religious texts which are among the earliest recorded forms of literature. On the wall art is Joseph Pennell’s 1911 sketch of the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary in Westminster Abbey. Below are an intricately illustrated 18th-century Megillah, or scroll, and a centuries old Hebrew manuscript.
THE WRITTEN WORD
This display features Jacques Hnizdovsky’s 1961 painting, Man Reading. Next to it are Japanese woodblock prints and author Virginia Woolf’s walking stick.
THE VISUAL WORLD
This display shows how photography and printing captured nature over time. On the right are Charlotte Dumas’s photos honoring 9/11 rescue dogs a decade after their service. Below them is a 19th-century pug portrait by Henri-Charles Guérard and a 16th-century architectural book by Joseph Boillot. On the left are early plant prints, including a blue cyanotype by Anna Atkins from the world’s first photo-illustrated book. Together these items highlight centuries long evolution of visual documentation.
PERFORMANCE
This is a celebration of living arts such as music preserved through physical objects. Hanging on the wall is original sheet music handwritten by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for his Symphony No. 32, alongside an early record. Below, a rare open music manuscript sits next to a set of historic harmonicas belonging to jazz and blues musician Borrah Minevitch.
EXPLORATION
This display highlights human desire to explore and innovate. It features a 15th-century manuscript copy of Claudius Ptolemy’s Geographia, featuring hand-drawn maps by cartographer Nicolaus Germanus. This book illustrates the Roman-era view of the world and shows off Ptolemy’s groundbreaking grid system of latitude and longitude that has shaped modern navigation.
FORTITUDE
This section conveys a message of resilience by honoring major figures and milestones of the civil rights movement. On the wall are portraits of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Below them is a small bronze model of Augusta Savage’s famous sculpture, Lift Every Voice and Sing, a vintage copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book, a baseball autographed by Jackie Robinson, and historic activist newspapers.
NEW YORK CITY
At the center of this display is an 18th-century plan of the city of New York island’s expanding street grid. It sits next to a page from reformer Jacob Riis’s handwritten notes for his landmark book: How the Other Half Lives. We can see how this dream city grew and changed over time.
CHILDHOOD
This section highlights the stories, fables and characters that have sparked children’s imagination. The display holds the original stuffed animals from the 1920s that inspired A.A. Milne’s iconic story of Winnie-the-Pooh including the real-life Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, and Kanga. The library is currently featuring these beloved treasures as part of the 100th anniversary of Winnie-the-Pooh.