Clockwise from top left: Italian passports, Table
Scene, Two-piece Sicilian Wedding Dress (1888), Kitchen Artifacts,
Sewing Machine scene.
Between 1880 and 1920, more than 5 million Italian immigrants
arrived in the United States - many through Ellis Island. Predominantly
from southern Italy, they left their poverty-stricken villages
to seek new opportinities and build new lives in America. With
more than 1,000,000 settling in New York, the city would become
intimately associated with the Italian immigrant experience. The
social, political, cultural, and economic contributions of Italian
Americans to New York City and America, are significant.
This exhibit delved into the history of Italian immigration to
New York by documenting the adaptation of Italian immigrants to
America, the communities they forged, and the institutions they
built.
Curator: Dr. Philip V. Cannistraro Coordinator: Dr. Peter Vellon
July 2002
