Notorious RBG Gets Her Due in New-York Historical Society Exhibition

The New-York Historical Society honors the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg with an overarching exhibition profiling her life and career.
The New-York Historical Society honors the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg with an overarching exhibition profiling her life and career.
10/5/21 - By Jody Mercier

Native daughter Ruth Bader Ginsburg gets her due in a brand new exhibition at the New-York Historical Society. Based on the best-selling book and Tumblr of the same name, Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg brings the Brooklyn-born Supreme Court justice's story full-circle.

Whether your kids have a hunger for history, an interest in the law, or a feminist streak, the exhibition, which made our list of must-see museum exhibits this fall, is worth a visit.

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The exhibition, which runs through Sunday, January 23, 2022, traces the life of the late Supreme Court associate justice, from her Brooklyn upbringing to her death in 2020—and the memorials that sprang up citywide in the aftermath.

Rich in personal history and artifacts, you'll see re-creations of her childhood living room, the kitchen where her husband Marty famously did all the cooking, and even her desk at the Supreme Court. Retrace her steps as a New Yorker and learn about the areas she frequented before her relocation to the nation's capital. 

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Highlights of the exhibit include a robe and jabot from RBG’s Supreme Court wardrobe.

While the eye candy might be most attractive to kids—including one of her famous lace collars—there's plenty of rich history to explore of Ginsburg, the Court, and indeed America itself. Ginsburg's searing dissents are immortalized in the audio tour, accompanied by artist sketches that capture the resolve in her expressions as she delivered them.

You'll learn not only about her time on the bench, though, but also all that led up to it from her college days at Cornell to attending—and shining—at two Ivy League law schools, only to find a job out of reach simply because of her gender.

Stop to ponder the list of things women couldn't do when Ginsburg came of age and you'll be all the more amazed by her career, which personally affected changes to many items on that list, thanks to her leadership of the ACLU's Women's Rights Project.

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Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg takes an expansive and engaging look at the justice’s life and work

If this all seems a bit high-brow for young New Yorkers, consider taking a look at the gallery guide put together by the museum before visiting. It offers a good primer for kids and adults alike, and be sure to stop at the Supreme Court bench for a photo-op before you exit. A final placard provides marching orders, too, inspiring museumgoers young and old with tips on "How to Be Like RBG."

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is now open at the New-York Historical Society. While you're there, be sure to visit the DiMenna Children's History Museum on the lower level.

Photos by the author

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