The New York Public Library Marks Historic Supreme Court Decision with Flash Display From The Collections: Celebrating Marriage Equality

JUNE 26, 2015 —  The New York Public Library will mark the Supreme Court’s historic decision on same-sex marriage with a display featuring key items from its renowned collections chronicling LGBT relationships and the fight for marriage equality.

Opening on June 26 in Astor Hall on the first floor of The New York Public Library’s iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street in Manhattan, the free display includes materials from several of the Library’s research collections. Featured items include:  

• A 1934 photograph of Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein. The pair became one of the most visible same-sex couples of the twentieth century because of Stein’s memoir, published in 1933.

• Daddy’s Wedding,  the first children’s book to depict a same-sex wedding.  Published in 1996 and written by Michael Wilhoite, it was a sequel to his controversial book Daddy’s Roommate.

• A 1963 copy of One magazine, the first LGBT political magazine. On display will be an article entitled “Let’s Push Homophile Marriage,” in which the author highlights the importance of committed LGBT relationships on both a political and personal level.

• A letter dated December 21, 1927 from Virginia Woolf to Vita Sackville-West; though both in heterosexual marriages, the two carried on an affair with Sackville-West often serving as a literary inspiration to Woolf.

• An 1813 printing of  the salacious pamphlet The Surprising Adventures of a Female Husband!, an exaggerated chronicle of the life of Mary Hamilton, who lived as a man and was married to a woman before being imprisoned for six months and whipped for the crime of fraud.

The New York Public Library holds one of the preeminent collections of LGBT material in its Manuscripts and Archives Division, with at least 100,000 volumes and over 300 archival collections from individuals and activist organizations containing hundreds of thousands of letters, manuscripts, photographs, posters, and other items—as well as numerous audio/visual materials. This display draws extensively from that collection, as well as from archives held in various other Library research divisions.

“The New York Public Library holds one of the most important collections of LGBT material in the world, comprehensively documenting the struggles of everyday life, the fight for civil rights, and the lives of prominent LGBT writers, artists, and scholars," said NYPL President Tony Marx. "We are proud to share several highlights of those collections in this new display, and shine a spotlight on all that has led up to the US Supreme Court's historic decision."

Support for The New York Public Library’s Exhibitions Program has been provided by Celeste Bartos, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos and Adam Bartos Exhibitions Fund, and Jonathan Altman.

Additional support from the LGBT Initiative of The New York Public Library.

Media Contact:

Sara Beth Joren | sarabethjoren@nypl.org

About The New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library serves more than 18 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.