A Museum of Immigrant Life

Explore the setting for Sydney Taylor's All-of-a-Kind Family with a visit to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York City.

Setting is important in every book, but in some standout cases, it’s practically a main character. So it is with Sydney Taylor’s perennial favorite, All-of-a-Kind Family. Her descriptions of New York City’s Lower East Side tenement district around the turn of the century create an ambiance so rich in smells, textures and tradition, you can almost taste the sour pickles and steaming chickpeas of Rivington Street on market day.

In our workshops of course, we make sure the kids get to do just that!  But this week we’re giving a shoutout to a museum that goes a step further, inviting the curious 21st century visitor to travel a hundred-plus years back in time to explore the homes and workspaces of the Lower East Side as they once were – to climb the narrow staircases, peer out the windows, stand at stoves and sewing machines, and to hear the individual, unique stories of the one-time residents.

The story of New York City's Tenement Museum itself is a historian’s dream. It began when the founders discovered a dilapidated tenement building on Orchard Street, parts of which had been shuttered for more than 50 years. With thousands of artifacts of daily life still lying en situ – toys, library cards, ticket stubs, newspapers and dolls – archivists were able to piece together the stories of the migrants and immigrants who once occupied the building. The museum opened in 1988 and today those stories are told through several interactive tours, allowing visitors to get acquainted with families who emigrated from Russia, Germany, China, Ireland and Italy from 1865 to the 1970s.

If you love ephemera and history and often wonder, when reading a great book like All-of-a-Kind Family, “what was that place really like?”, this is a destination to plan for. At the museum you’ll find a story that is significantly grittier than her children’s story depicts, but no less beautiful and human.

So here are two options:

1.       Check it out in person! And when you’re done, head a few blocks over to the world famous Katz’s Deli (est. 1888) for a mile-high pastrami sandwich and some matzoh ball soup -- and don’t forget the sour pickles!

2.        Check it out online! The museum website hosts a fascinating digital experience rich with photographs and stories and videos. This tour lets you move at your own pace (but you'll have to bring your own pickles). And if you'd like some other fun, original ideas for immersing with your students in Sydney Taylor's heartwarming story, check out our page of free Creative Teaching Ideas for All-of-a-Kind Family!

If you've been to the Tenement Museum or have anything else you'd like to share, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the Comments!

Tenement museum photo by ajay_suresh - CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=111587783