The Morgan Library & Museum

The Morgan Library & Museum Once the private library of financier J. Today it is a museum, independent research library, music venue, architectural landmark, and historic site.
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Pierpont Morgan—now a museum, research library, architectural landmark, and historic site in the heart of New York City. The Morgan Library & Museum began as the private library of financier Pierpont Morgan, one of the preeminent collectors and cultural benefactors in the United States. A century after its founding, the Morgan maintains a unique position in the cultural life of New York City and is considered one of its greatest treasures.

Relax, refresh, recharge on this "fine summer evening!" Happy Labor Day from the Morgan!__William Makepeace Thackeray, 1...
09/07/2026

Relax, refresh, recharge on this "fine summer evening!" Happy Labor Day from the Morgan!

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William Makepeace Thackeray, 1811-1863
A Fine Summer Evening
5 7/16 x 4 inches (138 x 101 mm)
Graphite on paper.
2005.177

Hi! I’m Sophie Weinberg, and I spent this summer interning in the Sherman Fairchild Reading Room at the Morgan Library &...
09/06/2026

Hi! I’m Sophie Weinberg, and I spent this summer interning in the Sherman Fairchild Reading Room at the Morgan Library & Museum.

As the Reading Room intern, I assisted and supervised researchers working with our rare materials, helping to protect and ensure their proper care and handling. Over the summer, I was thrilled to work with the Morgan’s wide range of special collections materials, including medieval and renaissance manuscripts, the works of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement, the journals of Henry David Thoreau, the original drawings of The Little Prince, and even the Gutenberg bible!

This experience working at the Morgan Library & Museum was foundational to my development as an aspiring rare books librarian. I’m currently a graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where I’m pursuing my Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. During the year, I also work as the Assistant Director of Skeuomorph Press & BookLab and as a graduate assistant at my school’s rare book and manuscript library.

p.s. The Morgan Library & Museum has always been a special place to me; swipe to see pictures of my very first visit, ten years ago!

Last chance to see this rare copy of the Declaration of Independence! In honor of the 250th anniversary of this iconic d...
09/04/2026

Last chance to see this rare copy of the Declaration of Independence!

In honor of the 250th anniversary of this iconic document, “The Declaration of Independence: Rare Americana from the Collection” presents a select group of important materials relating to the history of the founding of the nation. Placed in conversation with each other, this installation, located in the library's Rotunda, provides a snapshot of an incredibly robust area of the Morgan’s collection that speaks to the vitality of the country in its nascence.

The centerpiece of the installation is a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence. Known as the “Dunlap broadside,” this artifact of the nation’s founding was typeset by John Dunlap on the night of July 4, 1776 for distribution to “the several Assemblies, Conventions & Committees or Councils of Safety and to the several Commanding Officers of the Continental troops.” Among the rarest of the rare in this category, it is one of only twenty-six recorded copies surviving today. As a foundational document it is put in context with other important works from the period. Thomas Paine’s radical polemic Common Sense, published earlier that year, gave the nation’s founders a solid rationale for a break from monarchical rule based on the principles of reason.

This installation closes on Sunday, September 13th!
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United States. In Congress, July 4, 1776. A declaration by the representatives of the United States of America: in general Congress assembled. Philadelphia: Printed by John Dunlap, 1776. Purchase: The Robert Wood Johnson Jr. Charitable Trust, 1982. The Morgan Library & Museum, New York. PML 77518

Sheryl Sutton frequently collaborated and performed with the experimental theater director Robert Wilson, including in t...
09/02/2026

Sheryl Sutton frequently collaborated and performed with the experimental theater director Robert Wilson, including in the 1976 premiere of his opera "Einstein on the Beach." On this sheet the taut outline of her figure in motion conveys grace and rigor. The highly graphic effect stands in marked contrast to Peter Hujar’s photographs of the tumult of actors preparing for off-off-Broadway productions.
Sheryl Sutton, 189 Second Avenue, 1977, job 785. The Morgan Library & Museum, Peter Hujar Collection, New York, purchased on the Charina Endowment Fund, 2013, 2013.108:8.3010. Courtesy of Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco and Ortuzar, New York; © The Peter Hujar Archive / Artists Rights Society (ARS).

Our current exhibition "Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions" explores how the cards have been adapted and reinven...
09/01/2026

Our current exhibition "Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions" explores how the cards have been adapted and reinvented across cultures and centuries.

For artist Remedios Varo (1908–1963), tarot offered a natural meeting point for her fascination with spirituality, science, psychology, and philosophy. In her latest blog post, Esther Levy, Curatorial Assistant in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Drawings, explores Varo’s relationship to tarot and the ideas that shaped her work. Read the full post: https://www.themorgan.org/blog/remedios-varos-clock-tarot-time-and-recurrence
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Remedios Varo, "The Other Clock," 1957. Ink and gouache on medium weight cardstock. Private Collection. © 2026 Remedios Varo, Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VEGAP, Madrid. Courtesy of Gallery Wendi Norris

08/31/2026

Did you know that no tarot Devil cards from the Renaissance have survived? Josh O'Driscoll, Curator and Department Head of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts, offers up his explanation why that is.

"Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions" is on view through October 4, 2026.
[Morgan library and museum, tarot, research library, museum life, nyc museum]

Join the Morgan in wishing a happy birthday to Mary Shelley! Best known as the author of Frankenstein (1818), Shelley be...
08/30/2026

Join the Morgan in wishing a happy birthday to Mary Shelley!

Best known as the author of Frankenstein (1818), Shelley began writing her groundbreaking novel as a teenager. Born in London in 1797 to the radical thinkers William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, she went on to write numerous novels, short stories, and essays over the course of her life, leaving a literary legacy that extends far beyond Frankenstein.

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Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851). Frankenstein, or, The modern Prometheus. London: Printed for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, Finsbury Square, 1818, p. [ii], half title page, verso and p. [iii], title page, recto, PML 16799, (PhotoShop)

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[New york city museum, morgan library and museum, mary shelley, frankestein, william, godwin, mary wollstonecraft]

First played in 15th-century Italy, tarot was a game of strategy and chance long before it became associated with divina...
08/28/2026

First played in 15th-century Italy, tarot was a game of strategy and chance long before it became associated with divination.

Early tarot decks featured four suits—Cups, Coins, Swords, and Batons—along with a special set of trump cards, known in Italian as trionfi, or “triumphs.” These allegorical cards featured figures and scenes such as the Emperor, Death, and the World. Players took turns playing cards, following suit when they could or playing a trump card to win each round. At the end of the game, players or teams scored points based on the cards they had captured.

Think of it like Hearts, Spades, or Bridge—but with a deck filled with richly symbolic imagery.

Have you ever played tarot as a card game? Let us know in the comments!

1. (L) The Ace of Cups (R) The Ace of Swords.
2. (L) The Five of Cups (R) The Nine of Batons

All works by Bonifacio Bembo from the Visconti-Sforza Tarot Cards. Italy, Milan or Cremona, ca. 1456-58. The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.630.12. Photography by Graham S. Haber.

Are you ready for tonight's lunar eclipse? In ancient Western Asia, an eclipse was never just a spectacle; it was a terr...
08/27/2026

Are you ready for tonight's lunar eclipse?

In ancient Western Asia, an eclipse was never just a spectacle; it was a terrifying message from the gods. To the people of Mesopotamia, a sudden darkening of the sun or moon signaled impending chaos, foretelling devastating famines, deadly plagues, or catastrophic floods. A lunar eclipse that began during the morning watch could mean that the ruling dynasty was about to fall.

Babylonian astronomers spent centuries documenting the night sky. By the Seleucid Period (4th–1st centuries BC), omen texts shifted to sophisticated mathematical and scientific calculations. Yet, with science and religion being closely integrated, astronomical data dictated religious rituals. This remarkable clay tablet in the Morgan's collection reveals instructions for a ritual dedicated to Sin, the moon god:

"This is that which to Sin during an eclipse he shall sing. As long as the eclipse lasts, the people of the land shall remove their headgear; they shall cover their heads with their garments. They shall cry aloud; for a lamentation they shall send up their cry. Until the eclipse is past, they shall shout…"

Happy National Dog Day from Louis, our Chief Morale Officer! Louis makes sure everyone on staff is enjoying their summer...
08/26/2026

Happy National Dog Day from Louis, our Chief Morale Officer! Louis makes sure everyone on staff is enjoying their summer and politely looks for treats (usually from the Exhibitions team!).

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