Photo credit: 9/11 Memorial staff
Accession Number: C.2025.4.1
Dimensions: 7/8 in X 7 3/8 in
Dimensions (Metric): 17.78 cm X 17.78 cm
Credit Line: Gift of Nicolas Goletto
Description
Metal souvenir serving tray. The tray is circular and light blue with an image of the lower Manhattan skyline, including with the Twin Towers on the right. The buildings are rendered in silhouette, lit with yellow lights and foregrounded by the Hudson River. The sky has a dusky hue. "MANHATTAN" is printed in white text at the bottom of the tray. The rim of the tray is rusted in parts. On the back of the tray are several international postage stamps and a handwritten sticker label addressed to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center. The social media handle for Nicolas Goletto is also printed on the back.
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.