The New-York Historical Society, founded in 1804 in Manhattan, is New York's oldest museum. The museum presents exhibitions, public programs and related to the history of New York and its relationship to the United States as a whole and holds over 1.6 million pieces in its art collection.

The Historical Society was founded on November 20, 1804, largely through the efforts of John Pintard, secretary of the American Academy of Fine Arts and founder of New York's first savings bank, and other prominent New Yorkers including mayor DeWitt Clinton.

The Historical Society called many buildings home during the 19th century including the Government House on Bowling Green, constructed as a residence for the President of the United States when New York was the temporary capital and the New York Institution, formerly the city almshouse on City Hall Park. In 1857 the society moved into the first building purposefully built for its occupancy.

The major section of the current New York Historical Society Museum was designed by architects York and Sawyer and completed in 1908. The building was expanded in 1938 and designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission as a landmark n 1966.