Famed New York Times Photographer Bill Cunningham’s Archive to Have Permanent Home with The New York Historical

Bill Cunningham (1929-2016), Municipal Building, built 1914. Photograph. The New York Historical, Patricia D. Klingenstein Library

The New York Historical has today announced that it has acquired Bill Cunningham’s archive, which includes photographs, negatives, slides, contact sheets, prints, correspondence, and ephemera of the iconic fashion photographer—tens of thousands of images in total. One of the late 20th century’s most influential trend-spotters and style authorities, the legendary New York Times journalist and photographer was frequently spied on the city’s streets, at fashion shows, and at elegant soirées capturing images of New York’s fashion innovators and cultural glitterati. Included in the archive are On the Street photographs dating back to the 1970s and 80s, three decades of Met Gala photographs, depictions of fashion shows in New York and Paris, and personalized notebooks.

“We are thrilled to have been chosen as the permanent home for the Bill Cunningham Archive, and grateful to Bill’s niece, Patricia Simonson, as well as to New York Historical Trustee Sally Klingenstein Martell, who championed the effort on the part of our board,” said Louise Mirrer, president and CEO, The New York Historical. “Bill, who famously turned fashion photography into cultural anthropology, is unique among American chroniclers of social life in New York. Preserving the Bill Cunningham archive at The New York Historical is particularly fitting, and meaningful, as his relationship with the institution stretches back to his early career as a milliner, when he carried out his research in our Patricia D. Klingenstein Library. Above all, preserving Bill’s extraordinary work in our Patricia D. Klingenstein Library will benefit future generations of researchers and scholars seeking to understand our city’s history.”

His niece Patricia Simonson, who has cared for his estate, said: “My uncle devoted his life to capturing the spirit and beauty of individuals, fashion, and of course New York—and there is no more appropriate place for his collect than The New York Historical—right on Central Park West in Manhattan, where much of his work took place.”

The Historical is able to care for this collection because of a generous gift from trustee Sally Klingenstein Martell, who shared: “Bill Cunningham’s work is a definitive record of New York style, both high and low. How fitting, then, that his archive will now be permanently housed at The New York Historical, an institution devoted to preserving the city’s vibrant past. Here, this priceless collection will be accessible to the public for generations to come.”

Bill Cunningham (1929-2016) was a fashion photographer for the New York Times, known for his candid street photography. Cunningham moved to New York in 1948, initially working in advertising and soon striking out on his own to make hats under the name “William J.” After serving a tour in the US Army, he returned to New York and began writing for the Chicago Tribune. While working at the Tribune and Women’s Wear Daily, he began taking photographs of fashion on the streets of New York. The Times first published a group of his impromptu pictures in December 1978, which soon became a regular series.

The Bill Cunningham Archive consists of approximately 600 linear feet of items, the majority of which are photographs spanning from the late 1960s to the 2010s. The subjects range from on the street fashion, parties (like one at Studio 54 from 1979), weddings, galas, and benefits. Notebooks from Paris in the 1960s include sketches and show notes. There are also documents related to his millinery efforts, the William J. Collection, including receipts and textile swatches as well as scrapbooks and news clips.

The Archive joins a significant collection of Cunningham’s personal belongings that are part of The New York Historical’s collection, including the bicycle that he rode around the city; his first camera, an Olympus Pen-D, 35mm; his signature blue jacket; and a New York City street sign, “Bill Cunningham Corner,” that was temporarily installed at 5th Avenue and 57th Street in his honor, following his death. Hats and scrapbooks from his millinery line, William J. are also part of the collection, along with selections from Facades, his eight-year photographic project documenting New York City’s architectural and fashion history, which was on view at The New York Historical in 2014.

An in-depth exhibition celebrating Cunningham’s career and featuring the archive and Museum collection is in the works and will be on display at a future date. 

The New York Historical’s Patricia D. Klingenstein Library is one of the oldest and most distinguished research libraries in the world, containing millions of books, pamphlets, maps, atlases, newspapers, broadsides, music sheets, manuscripts, prints, photographs, and architectural drawings. It is home to the Robert A. Caro Archive, the Billie Jean King Archive, and the Time Inc. Archive, among others. 

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.