Histories of the Revolutionary War usually focus on men, but women played an important part in the war, too. Join New Netherland Institute director Deborah Hamer as she talks to Dr. Anna Danziger Halperin, Director of the Center for Women's History at New York Historical, about the new exhibition Revolutionary Women (opening May 29) Learn more about what women did during the American Revolution and how New York's women coped with the British occupation.
In his new biography, Vermeer: A Life Lost and Found (Norton, 2026), Andrew Graham-Dixon offers a startling new perspective on one of history’s most beloved artists. Join Russell Shorto as he talks to Graham-Dixon about Vermeer's unique milieu and recounts the detective work that led him to unravel these mysterious paintings.
We often talk about New Netherland's records at the New York State Archives in Albany. But did you know that the New York State Library also has an extremely large collection of Dutch documents? Join New Netherland Institute Director Deborah Hamer as she talks to Lauren Moore, the New York State Librarian, and Elizabeth Jakubowski, Associate Librarian of NYS Library’s Special Collections.
Jacob Steendam was one of the first poets of Colonial America. Join Deborah Hamer as she talks to Dr. Danny Noorlander about Steendam's poetry, his experiences in Africa before he arrived in New Netherland, and how studying music, poetry, and sound can add to our knowledge of the Dutch Atlantic World.
Novelists have long found the Dutch Golden Age a setting and source of inspiration. Join Russell Shorto as he talks to Victoria Redel about her new novel I Am You. The book follows the intertwined lives of Maria van Oosterwijck, renowned today for her gorgeous still life paintings, and her servant, Gerta Pieters. Find out what drew Redel to the period and how she makes us see it in a new way.
In 1689, New York merchant Jacob Leisler led a rebellion against King James in New Amsterdam. Leisler’s remarkable, ill-fated administration, from 1689 to 1691, is central to understanding New York’s pre-Revolutionary political, economic, and cultural life. Join Russell Shorto as he chats with David William Voorhees, director of the Jacob Leisler Institute for the Study of Early New York History, about the rebellion, and how developments from that era are still felt today.
When the Dyckman Farmhouse was built in 1784, the area around it was farmland. Now, it sits at the bustling corner of Broadway and 204th Street in Inwood. Join Deborah Hamer as she talks to Melissa Kiewiet, the executive director of the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum Alliance about the history of the house, the new work being done to reveal more about the enslaved people who labored in the house, and how the house has become an important contemporary exhibition space.
Few names are as synonymous with the Hudson Valley as Washington Irving, but few know that he grew up steeped in Dutch history. Join Russell Shorto as he speaks with Dr. Elisabeth Paling Funk about her new book The Dutch World of Washington Irving.
