The Holland Society of New York

01/29/2026

Join Executive Director Sarah Bogart Cooney on Monday, February 16th (President's Day), for a private, docent-led tour of one of LACMA's new exhibitions, Collecting Impressionism. Collecting Impressionism contains works of art by Van Gogh and other Dutch artists, and we are arranging with the museum to visit works from the Dutch Golden Age in the Museum's collection as well. The tour begins at 11 and more details will be sent at the beginning of February. Ticket price includes museum admission.

If you’d like to join this branch event, please register here. https://bit.ly/49PRigA. Family and friends are welcome to join this special event! Lunch to follow the tour for those interested (Dutch treat).

01/28/2026

Last Friday, the Holland Society and the Victorian Society of New York hosted a lecture by Elisabeth Paling Funk about ‘Washington Irving, the Dutch Saint Nicholas, and the American Santa Claus’ at the St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church on the Upper West Side. Elisabeth Paling Funk, PhD, recently published the book ‘The Dutch World of Washington Irving: Knickerbocker's History of New York and the Hudson Valley Folktales’. The book tells an alternative origin story of American literary culture. Funk explores what the young Irving would have read, heard, and observed during his early life and career in New York City, once part of the former colony of New Netherland, where he was surrounded by Dutch-speaking neighbors and relatives and Dutch literature. Autographed copies of her book The Dutch World of Washington Irving are available for sale on our website here. https://bit.ly/4kdwioX

01/28/2026

Looking to do some research on your New Netherland ancestors?

Sign up for our online Empire State Exploration: New Netherland Research (March 9–11) and join the NYG&B and guest experts virtually for three days of online learning, held live, on the resources for conducting New Netherland research and the essential tools for tracing Dutch families. https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/events/empire-state-exploration-new-netherland-research

01/27/2026

The Holland Society’s January enewsletter has been published and is available on our website https://hollandsociety.org/2026/01/january-2026/! The new year is off to a great start for the Holland Society with an amazing lecture last week by Elisabeth Paling Funk about Washington Irving, the Dutch Saint Nicholas, and the American Santa Claus and her recently published book The Dutch World of Washington Irving. Please check out our website’s new page and learn more about the Holland Society’s events and projects planned for 2026. If you would like to sign up to receive our monthly enewsletter visit https://hollandsociety.org/newsletter-archives/

01/21/2026

A new edition de Halve Maen has been published. Volume 98 Number 1 of our scholarly magazine contains Jonas Danen's essay on the Dutch gardens in New Netherland, "The Hortas Batavus Novus;" the second installment of Kenneth Shefsiek's article on Petrus Stuyvesant's financing of the church in New Netherland; and Samantha Aviles' book review of John Milnes Baker's fiftieth anniversary edition of the Baker and Edgar families of Rahway and New York City.

Online subscribers can access the magazine online. Non-members that are interested in a print subscription or online access to the Society’s magazine, please visit our website to subscribe https://bit.ly/3MouucD

01/20/2026

Tune in this Thursday at noon for the next Live from New Amsterdam.

Reminder: register for our next Live From New Amsterdam on Thursday, January 22nd at noon! NNI director Deborah Hamer will speak to Dr. Danny Noorlander about the sounds of New Netherland and the Dutch Atlantic World. For more information, visit https://www.nyhistory.org/programs/live-from-new-amsterdam-the-sounds-of-new-netherland?date=2026-01.

Image: Nicolaes van Haeften, Five Singers in an Open Window, 1690. From the Collection of the Rijksmuseum.

01/08/2026

Join us for our next Live From New Amsterdam on Thursday, January 22nd at noon. NNI director Deborah Hamer will speak to Dr. Danny Noorlander about the sounds of New Netherland and the Dutch Atlantic World. For more information and to register, visit https://www.nyhistory.org/programs/live-from-new-amsterdam-the-sounds-of-new-netherland?date=2026-01-22.

Image: Pieter Symonsz. Potter, Music Players in an Interior, ca. 1630. From the Collection of the Rijksmuseum.

01/06/2026

Happy Twelfth Night of Christmas! ‘Twelfth Night’, or ‘Three Kings Day’, was one of the traditional holidays celebrated by the Dutch in 17th and 18th century New York. Falling on January 6th, Twelfth Night was the final holiday of the season which started with St. Nicholas, Christmas and then New Year’s.

The day was marked by good cheer with much food, drinking, games, and music. Treats included doughnuts, cookies, waffles and pancakes plus a cake with a bean inside. The lucky person who got the slice with the bean became king or queen for a day.

The celebration of Twelfth Night died out in America by the 1850s, as Christmas and New Year’s took center stage.

01/01/2026

12/26/2025

The Holland Society’s December enewsletter has been published - the last edition of this year. Check it out on our website https://hollandsociety.org/2025/12/december-2025/!

We are excited for 2026 and can’t wait to share upcoming plans and events in our monthly newsletters next year. Please check out our website’s new page and learn more about the Holland Society’s activities and projects. If you would like to sign up to receive our monthly enewsletter visit https://hollandsociety.org/newsletter-archives/

12/23/2025

One month from today, on January 23rd, 2026, the Holland Society and the Victorian Society of New York will host a lecture by Elisabeth Paling Funk about Washington Irving, the Dutch Saint Nicholas, and the American Santa Claus. Starting at 6:30pm, the lecture will be held at the St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 263 West 86th St., New York. Please click here to register https://bit.ly/49WjKPA

In Knickerbocker's History of New York, first published on Saint Nicholas Day 1809, Washington Irving introduced the Dutch Saint Nicholas as patron saint and folk hero, changed his appearance, and manipulated his character traits. This presentation will follow the Nicholas celebration from its early European origin through its arrival in New Netherland and continued observance in America. Irving's adoption of the Dutch "Sinterklaas" is responsible for the survival of what was originally a transplanted regional celebration among New Yorkers of Dutch descent into the nationally cherished American Santa Claus.
Elisabeth Paling Funk, PhD, recently published the book The Dutch World of Washington Irving. The books tells an alternative origin story of American literary culture. Funk explores what the young Irving would have read, heard, and observed during his early life and career in New York City, once part of the former colony of New Netherland, where he was surrounded by Dutch-speaking neighbors and relatives and Dutch literature.