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The New York Historical Exhibition of Bill Cunningham’s Newly Acquired Archive to Open in Winter 2027
“We All Dress for Bill” to be Guest Curated by Vogue’s Raul Martinez, with Advisory Support from Alex Gonzalez and Anna Wintour
The New York Historical, New York’s first museum, has today announced “We All Dress for Bill”—the new exhibition celebrating famed photographer Bill Cunningham’s decades-long career—will open in the winter of 2027. On view in the Klingenstein Family Gallery, the signature exhibition space in The Historical’s new Tang Wing for American Democracy, the exhibition will feature Cunningham’s photographs capturing street fashion, fashion shows, and parties across New York City. Raul Martinez, Global Creative Director of Vogue, will guest curate, and Anna Wintour, Condé Nast's Chief Content Officer, will support the exhibition in an advisory capacity, along with creative director Alex Gonzalez. The title of the exhibition, “We All Dress for Bill,” is inspired by Ms. Wintour’s famous comment.
Cunningham was a frequent photographer and visitor at The Historical, and the Museum hosted his 85th birthday party accompanying an exhibition of his photography—after which he left on his bicycle to photograph that evening’s events around town. The Historical acquired his extensive archive in 2025.
“While modestly traveling New York by day and night on his bicycle, Bill Cunningham’s contributions were legendary,” says Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of The New York Historical. “He documented the fashion moments of our times, he shined a light on the celebrations of New York’s cultural institutions, and along the way he built an archive of stunning photographs. And there’s no more important and appropriate partner for this exhibition than Raul and Anna. We’re also grateful to New York Historical Trustee Sally Klingenstein Martell for her generous support of the archive.”
“Photography, fashion, and New York are my greatest passions, so the opportunity to curate this one-of-a-kind collection is a great gift,” said Mr. Martinez. “During our first conversations about the exhibition, my colleague Anna Wintour shared, ‘Well, we always used to say ‘we all dress for Bill,’ so that’s the most natural title for the exhibition.’ I heartily agree.” Martinez has been the global creative director of Vogue since 2024, and his work with photography was honored with a National Magazine Award.
The exhibition will be co-curated by Martinez and The New York Historical’s Valerie Paley, Senior Vice President and Sue Ann Weinberg Director of the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library.
Known for riding around the streets of New York City on his bicycle wearing his iconic blue French worker’s jacket, Bill Cunningham was one of the most influential style authorities and trend-spotters of the 20th century. Often covering multiple fashion shows and high-profile gatherings in the course of one day, Cunningham was equally renowned for his work capturing fashionable New Yorkers in his candid street photography.
Born in 1929 and raised in Boston, Cunningham moved to New York in 1948, initially working in advertising before turning his attention to millinery and making hats under the name “William J.” After serving in the US Army, he returned to New York and began a career in journalism, writing for the Chicago Tribune and Women’s Wear Daily, while also taking photographs of fashion on the streets of New York. The New York Times first published a group of his impromptu pictures in December 1978, which soon became a regular series and continued for the rest of his career. Cunningham passed away in 2016.
The Sally Klingenstein Martell "Bill Cunningham Archive" at The New York Historical consists of approximately 600 linear feet of items, the majority of which are photographs spanning from the late 1960s to the 2010s. The subjects range from on-the-street fashion, parties, weddings, benefits, and galas, including three decades of the Met Gala. Additionally, the archive documents his millinery efforts, through receipts, textile swatches, scrapbooks, and news clips and includes notebooks from his visits to Paris in the 1960s.
The New York Historical’s collection includes the bicycle that Cunningham rode; his camera; his signature blue jacket; and scrapbooks from his millinery line. The collection also includes selections from Facades, Cunninghan’s eight-year photographic project documenting New York City’s architectural and fashion history, featuring portraits mainly of fellow photographer Editta Sherman, dressed in period costume and posed in front of buildings from the same era. In 2014, The New York Historical hosted an exhibition showcasing photographs from Facades.
Support
Lead support for The Sally Klingenstein Martell “Bill Cunningham Archive” is provided by Sally Klingenstein Martell. Major support is provided by Helen Appel, Lois Chiles, Maureen and Richard Chilton, Jr., the Weill Family Foundation and Joan & Sanford I. Weill, Audrey and Martin Gruss, Fiona and Eric Rudin, and Alice L. Walton Foundation. Important support is provided by Judy Francis Zankel and Norman S. Benzaquen, the Joyce and Daniel Cowin Foundation, Jamee and Peter Gregory, Agnes Gund, Marlene Hess and James D. Zirin, Judy and Leonard Lauder, Alexandra Lebenthal and Jay Diamond, Linda Lindenbaum, E. John Rosenwald, Jr., Deborah and Charles Royce, Ophelia and William Rudin, Katherine Farley and Jerry Speyer, Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch, Laurie M. Tisch, Alice and Thomas Tisch, Barbara Tober, Lulu C. Wang, the John L. and Sue Ann Weinberg Foundation, and Ann Ziff.
Exhibitions at The New York Historical are made possible by the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.
About The New York Historical
New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution covering over 400 years of American history. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; peerless collections of art, documents, and artifacts; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States’ democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better. Connect with us at nyhistory.org or at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Tumblr.
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