Two hand puppets with painted faces and hands, a mouse wearing a shirt and velvet coat and a cockroach wearing a veil, blouse, and dress.

Hand puppets “Perez” and “Martina”

Photo of a green umbrella with a bird-shaped wooden handle that belonged to Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers.

Umbrella belonging to author of Mary Poppins P.L. Travers

A hinged wooden frame featuring historic black-and-white portraits of two young black girls in 1860s dresses, Maritcha and Pauline Lyons, mounted underneath ornate gold borders.

Portraits of Maritcha Lyons (1848–1929) and her younger sister Pauline
Ambrotypes, ca. 1860
Harry A. Williamson Photograph Collection, Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Portraits of Maritcha Lyons (1848–1929) and her younger sister Pauline

Maritcha and Pauline Lyons were two of the five children of Albro Lyons, Sr., and Mary Joseph Lyons, who lived in New York City’s free Black community and were active members of the Free African Church of St. Philip. The parents operated a seamen’s home and outfitting store that also served as a cover for the family’s Underground Railroad efforts. After fleeing New York during the Civil War Draft Riots of 1863, the family later moved to Brooklyn. Maritcha would become an educator, civic leader, suffragist, and public speaker in New York City and Brooklyn, as well as the second Black woman to serve in the Brooklyn public school system as an assistant principal. Harry A. Williamson, a collector and writer on Freemasonry, was Pauline’s son.

Holding Division: Harry A. Williamson Photograph Collection, Photographs and Prints Division, Sch…

Catalog Record: View record

Digital Collections: View record

Not currently on view

The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.