Skip to main content

Social History

Dr. Jennifer Lemak

Chief Curator of History
jennifer.lemak@nysed.gov

Prior to my current position as the chief curator of history, I served as the senior historian/curator of social history for a decade.



News Articles

From the Collections: Madam C.J. Walker’s Glossine Hair Paste and Advertisement

Published February 22, 2023 | Social History

Madam C. J. Walker (1867–1919) was a successful entrepreneur, businesswoman, philanthropist, and social and political activist during a time when both African Americans and women were not common in the world of business. In 1906, she started her o...

New Acquisition: Singer Industrial Sewing Machine, ca. 1972

Published September 14, 2022 | Social History

One sewing machine, two stories: Some artifacts in our collection hold the stories of multiple individuals. This ca. 1972 Singer industrial sewing machine, recently donated to the NYSM, belonged to Tsui Ping Chu, an immigrant from Hong Kong. Ch...

New Acquisition: Voter Campaign Poster by Emily Ree

Published February 11, 2021 | Social History

Since 2017, LinkNYC Wi-Fi stations have been used to display the work of local artists on digital billboards across New York City. Hudson Valley comic artist Emily Ree’s work was one of 40 submissions chosen for the “Visualize the Vote” campaign i...

New Acquisition: Harriet Alonso Needlework

Published December 7, 2020 | Social History

Harriet Alonso began working with embroidery in 1974. Influenced by the imagery of political posters, she soon used the medium to express her ideas about the causes she was passionate about, including women’s rights, educational equality, and peac...

New Acquisition: 1947 Tavern Television

Published August 4, 2016 | Social History

The State Museum recently acquired a fully-restored 1947 Tavern Television made by the United States Television Manufacturing Corporation (USTMC). Made in New York City, this unit is believed to be one of only five known sets left in the United St...

Museum Adds 1917 Women's Suffrage Petitions to Collection

Published June 26, 2015 | Social History

The Museum recently acquired a series of 1917 Franklin County women's suffrage petitions from Jean Kubaryk, a teacher at North Warren Central School District. Ms. Kubaryk had been displaying the petitions in her classroom for years, but ...

Collections