On October 24, the exhibition “Turn Every Page”: Inside The Robert A. Caro Archive will open at the New-York Historical Society, the oldest museum in New York City. The exhibition draws from the archive of renowned biographer Robert A. Caro, which the New-York Historical Society acquired in 2019. Known for his award-winning works on Robert Moses and Lyndon B. Johnson, Caro is one of the country’s premier chroniclers of political power.
Robert A. Caro’s Smith Corona Electra 210 Typewriter, circa the 1970s. Courtesy of Robert A. Caro Archive, Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, New-York Historical Society.
Featured never-before-seen items in the exhibition include Caro’s research notebooks, handwritten interview notes, scrapbooks, photographs, and original manuscript pages. In addition, “Turn Every Page”: Inside The Robert A. Caro Archive will display one of Caro’s Smith Corona Electra 210 typewriters, used by the author to pen the stories of some of the most crucial events and people in American history during the 20th century.
“Turn Every Page”: Inside The Robert A. Caro Archive will chronicle the arc of Caro’s career, from his early days as a student journalist at Princeton to his later work as an investigative reporter for Newsday. Emphasis has been placed on exploring the author’s interview, writing, and editing process — giving viewers an intimate taste of what it looked like to curate two of his most important literary works; The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New Yorkand The Years of Lyndon Johnson series.
Untapped New York has organized a special tour of the exhibition led by staff of the New-York Historical society. This in person tour will take place on November 12, 2021 at 5 p.m. is free for Untapped New York Insiders (and get your first month free with code JOINUS).
Tour of “Turn Every Page”: Inside the Robert A. Caro Archive
The exhibition will display handwritten notes and typed transcripts from interviews Caro conducted with some of the last people alive who had worked closely with New York Governor Al Smith and later with New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. Being fiercely determined to give voice to not just the powerful but also the powerless, Caro’s archive also includes interviews from New York City residents whose lives Moses destroyed. Conversely, the exhibition will also include interviews with Texan farmers and ranchers whose lives were transformed thanks to Johnson’s efforts to bring electricity to the area.
“Alone on the Desert, Her Dream Fades”
Newsday, January 8, 1963. Courtesy of Robert A. Caro Archive, Patricia D. Klingenstein
Library, New-York Historical Society.A page from Caro’s manuscript draft of Master of
the Senate, circa 1990. Courtesy of Robert A. Caro Archive, Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, New-York Historical SocietyTyped draft manuscript page for Passage
of Power with Caro’s edits, 2012. Courtesy of
Robert A. Caro Archive, Patricia D. Kling.Robert Moses interview notes, ca. 1970. Courtesy of Robert A. Caro Archive, Patricia D. Klingenstein
Library, New-York Historical Society.
For American history buffs, “Turn Every Page”: Inside The Robert A. Caro Archive features documents that illuminate aspects of the country’s politics hidden from public view. Most prominently this includes figures pointing to Johnson’s stealing of the 1948 Senate race by 87 votes.
“Alone on the Desert, Her Dream Fades” Newsday, January 8, 1963. Courtesy of Robert A. Caro Archive, Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, New-York Historical Society.“What you have to do today” note, ca. 2010. Courtesy of Robert A. Caro Archive, Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, New-York Historical Society“What you have to do today” note, ca. 2010. Courtesy of Robert A. Caro Archive, Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, New-York Historical Society“Planning Calendar,” 1971. Courtesy of
Robert A. Caro Archive, Patricia D. Klingenstein
Library, New-York Historical Society
“This first-ever exhibition of Robert A. Caro’s work offers a unique window into his process, his thinking, and his writing. It also underscores the value investigative journalism has in historical research, and Caro’s extraordinary ability to uncover as well as convey—brilliantly, and with clarity and elegance—the essence of power,” Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of the New-York Historical Society, said. “That Caro’s research and writing will be permanently on view in our building attests to his monumental standing as a biographer and historian.”
Untapped New York has organized a special tour of the exhibition led by staff of the New-York Historical society. This in person tour will take place on November 12, 2021 at 5 p.m. is free for Untapped New York Insiders (and get your first month free with code JOINUS).
Tour of “Turn Every Page”: Inside the Robert A. Caro Archive
Irene Madrigal is a sophomore at Barnard College intending on majoring in English and History with a minor in Spanish. As a native New Yorker, she can be found guiding her friends across the city and
