Women in Costume Design
Twirl through theater, opera, and film with costume designs from Cooper Hewitt's collection.
We Are Seated: Tschabalala Self’s “Sounding Board”
“A chair always implies a figure, even if no figure is occupying it.”
From Idea to Engraving: Stradanus and the Printmaking Process
Explore the printmaking process—from artist sketch to engraved sheet—in 16th-century Europe.
Autumn in New York
Lean into the shifting season with this selection of autumnal objects from Cooper Hewitt’s permanent collection.
A Closer Look: What Fun Is a Font if You Can’t Play with It?
A look at the specific challenges and opportunities of collecting and displaying digital media.
How to Sell a Heater During a Revolution
Discover a collection of designs for stoves invented and produced by Ollivier’s Manufactory during the tumultuous period of the French Revolution.
Symbols as Synecdoche: Creating Community Identity
How do symbols represent communities?
A Closer Look: Displaying a Medical Model
Cooper Hewitt's mount maker discusses the challenges of displaying an object with a complex surface structure.
Our Search for Symbols, 2024
Henry Dreyfuss's team collected thousands of symbols for the Symbol Sourcebook. What might a Symbol Sourcebook, crowdsourced in 2024 with your submissions, look like?
The Library Is Open: Queer Texts and the Designers Who Enabled Them
The worlds of design and writing collide in this exploration of published work by LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Pop Art & ’60s Vibes: Wallcoverings by or Inspired by LGBTQIA+ Designers
Get to know wallcoverings (and a shopping bag) by LGBTQIA+ designers and artists in pop art and 1960s aesthetics.
A Closer Look: Objects from Algae
When dealing with experimental materials, such as algae and other bioplastics, conservators must consider the benefits of display with potentially unexpected outcomes.
Signs of the Times: The Original Symbols Exhibition, 1972
To celebrate and promote the publishing of the Symbol Sourcebook in 1972, an exhibition of symbols was staged in New York City.
“A Library of Decorative Art”: The Decloux Collection of Ornament Prints
What are ornament prints and how did Cooper Hewitt come to own the premier collection of such works in the United States?
Signs of the Times: Correction(s)
As with any published book, Henry Dreyfuss confronts errors in his symbols masterpiece.