The New York Historical Presents The New York Sari: A Journey Through Tradition, Fashion, and Identity

Eugene Gordon (b. 1923), New York, Jackson Heights, Queens, 1984. Photograph. Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, The New York Historical

On view September 12, 2025 – April 26, 2026

This fall, The New York Historical presents The New York Sari, an exploration of one of the world’s oldest-known garments and its impact on New York. Originating in South Asia, the sari has spread across oceans through trade, colonialism, and migration, becoming a truly global garment. This exhibition traces how the sari—and those who wear it—found a home in New York City. Once seen as a marker of distance and exoticism, the sari has become woven into the city’s cultural fabric, embraced by new generations of artists, dancers, entrepreneurs, community leaders, scientists, and changemakers.

The sari, with its endless variations in fabric, pattern, and draping style, carries a story shaped by centuries of textile artistry, global trade, and cultural exchange that began long before Portuguese ships arrived in India in 1498. The distinct variations we see today are a powerful representation of regional tradition, cultural identity, and personal expression. For many, the sari evokes rituals, milestones, and womanhood; for others, it becomes a bold statement of reinvention.

“At The New York Historical, we are committed to telling stories that reflect the full breadth of the American experience,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical. “The New York Sari illuminates how a centuries-old garment continues to shape identity, artistry, and community-building across our city. This exhibition is a celebration of the sari’s complexity—not only as a textile but as a powerful cultural symbol shaped by trade, migration, and personal expression. By centering voices from across the diaspora, we invite all New Yorkers to consider the rich histories woven into the fabric of everyday life and how a single garment can hold memory, spark dialogue, and foster belonging in a city as dynamic as New York.”

Featuring more than 50 objects, photographs, and ephemera, The New York Sarifollows the sari from the Indian subcontinent to New York City—first as an exotic object of trade and later as a living tradition embraced by communities across the diaspora. Through themes such as the sari’s place within consumer empires, its role in dance and performance, the empowerment found in its craftsmanship, explorations of gender and identity, and the building of community, the exhibition illuminates the multifaceted significance of the sari.

Exhibition highlights span the 18th century to modern day:

• A bedcover or wall hanging (palampore), circa 1720-40, made of cotton and linen and hand-painted with kalamkari motifs, exemplifies the type of textile that was once a prized object of trade for the British East India Company and later mass-produced in Europe as chintz.
• A photograph of Gurubai Karmarkar, taken before 1892, captures a South Asian woman pursuing a medical degree in the US—traveling in 1883 to study at the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, decades before the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.
• A photograph titled “Riding the Elephant, Coney Island, NY” (1905)documents the spectacle of elephant parades and dance performances staged at Coney Island’s Luna Park, which featured performers from British India who were simultaneously central to the attraction and marginalized by audiences.
• The comic “Kamaladevi” (2019) by illustrator Shebani Rao honors activist Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and her efforts to forge solidarity between Indian freedom fighters and the Black freedom movement in the United States.
• A 1984 photograph titled “New York, Jackson Heights, Queens,” by Eugene Gordon captures South Asian migrants—many of whom arrived as traders or laborers—building businesses and community infrastructure that laid the foundation for today’s vibrant Jackson Heights.
• In her 2014 work “Saree & The City,” artist Christina Dhaunuja reflects on the plain cotton saris worn by Dalit women—describing them as both “armor and necessity”—and honors the resilience of her mother and grandmothers in confronting caste oppression while forging lives in urban America.
• Jagdeep Raina’s 2015 artwork “Jasmeet Sweet Brother” evokes the role of South Asian food and community in New York’s immigrant life, referencing beloved institutions like Punjabi Grocery Deli, which became an organizing hub for cab drivers and other workers.
• Chitra Ganesh’s 2018 linocut series “Sultana’s Dream,” inspired by Rokeya Hossain’s 1905 feminist utopia, envisions a sari-clad matriarchal society that champions environmental stewardship, labor equity, and education access.

The New York Sari is curated by Salonee Bhaman, Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Women’s History and Public History, and Anna Danziger Halperin, director of the Center for Women’s History. 

Programming
A slate of exhibition-related women’s history salons will take place in the coming months. Visit the programs calendar for details.

Families can explore The New York Sari together with a dedicated family guide to the exhibition with fun activities for all ages. Kid-friendly programs will take place during the exhibition’s run, including a special Family Day in the fall. Visit the family calendar for additional details. Private group tours can also be arranged throughout the exhibition.

Support
Exhibitions at The New York Historical are made possible by Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.

About The New York Historical 
New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution covering over 400 years of American history. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; peerless collections of art, documents, and artifacts; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States’ democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better. Connect with us at nyhistory.org or at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Tumblr.