Accession Number: C.2022.46.1
Dimensions: 6 in X 5 in
Dimensions (Metric): 15.24 cm X 12.7 cm
Credit Line: Gift of Pauline Sugino in memory of Yoshio and Emiko Sugino
Description
Souvenir snow globe featuring iconic New York City skyline buildings, including the Twin Towers, the Statue of Liberty, Macy's, and the Empire State Building. The base of the globe looks like an arched brick wall with a street-level view peeking out as traffic passes the scene. The base rotates when the music-box dial is turned on the bottom of the globe. The water level in the globe appears low.
Historical Notes
Soon after it was built, the World Trade Center, and specifically the Twin Towers, took on iconic status. Although initially criticized for their architecture of "gigantism," the two soaring towers soon became a landmark, looming large in the public imagination as an icon of New York City’s audacity and vitality. They were seen as a symbol of America itself—a place of possibilities and dreams that defied limitation.
The Twin Towers, one of New York City’s most photographed landmarks, were used in marketing, featured on postcards and souvenirs, and appeared in movies and television.