“The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York was founded by Washington Irving and others, as an organization to commemorate the history and heritage of New York, and to promote good fellowship among the members,” reads the St. Nicholas website.
Since its beginning in 1835, the Society has hosted dinners—and this menu, from the wonderful collection of the New York Public Library—gives us a peek into what was served to commemorate Christmas 1885.
Held in Brooklyn Heights, the dinner was hosted by the “Nassau Island” branch of the Society, an interesting distinction.
The menu (or Spyskaardt, an homage to Brooklyn’s Dutch beginnings) seems very New Amsterdam: turtle soup, oyster pies, roast goose. And sweet breads with peas!
Tags: Christmas dinner 1885, Christmas Menu Gilded Age New York City, Gilded Age Christmas Dinner, Holiday Menu 19th Century, Old New York customs, St. Nicholas Society NYC, Vintage Dinner Menus
Ephemeral New York 
December 22, 2014 at 7:13 pm |
No sweets? I’m not going!
December 23, 2014 at 12:13 pm |
Reblogged this on The Quotidian Hudson and commented:
Ephemeral New York finds another gem…
December 23, 2014 at 1:41 pm |
I love this! Thanks for sharing!
December 24, 2014 at 2:03 am |
I’m baffled as to why the Library couldn’t find a better place for their stamp. There is plenty of blank space on the sides!
January 11, 2015 at 1:57 am |
Love this! I didn’t know turtle soup was dutch!
March 20, 2021 at 9:36 pm |
And I’ve just gotten a menu from Saint Nicholas society and the date is December 1854 and I’m wondering how I would go about finding someone who might be interested in this. It’s on silk and it’s already been framed and well taken care of.