NYNCS Steering Committee
Samuel Sobek is a third-generation toymaker, native New Yorker, and lover of all things historical, fantastical, and educational. In addition to his work with the NYNCS, Samuel also works with the Meetup.com NY Steampunk group. His particular interest is in the history of technology and its impact on human society.
Rachel Klingberg is the founder of the Bartitsu Club of New York City, which is dedicated to the study and revival of the Victorian art of self-defense. She is the organizer of the historic Antagonistics Weekend, which marked the first time that Bartitsu, the 19th-century martial art of Sherlock Holmes, was practiced in NYC. Rachel is also the webmaster of NYC Steampunk, and organizes and documents events of historical and educational interest around the city. A native New Yorker, amateur historical costumer and self-described “nineteenth-centurist,” she resides in an 1880s apartment building in the West Village.
NYNCS Founders
When not working on Society events, Zoh Rothberg designs and manufactures historically-influenced womenswear with her label Morrigan New York. Zoh currently runs the Victorian Parlorcraft Circle, and her work with the NYNCS is primarily focuses on organizing textile and fashion history related events. She also writes the blog Costume and Construction.
Eva Ulz, is a mildly eccentric young lady who lives in a Greenwich Village garret with her ever-patient husband and no cats. She whiles away most of her time sewing, reading, writing, cooking, musing about this and that, and sometimes playing the cello. She has spent much of her life working in historic house museums, including her current historic home, the Merchant’s House Museum. She is the authoress of the blog Circa 1850, and co-founder of the Victorian Parlorcraft Circle (nee Handwork Circle).
Dubbed an “historic gastronomist,” Sarah Lohman recreates historic recipes as a way to make a personal connection with the past. She chronicles her explorations in culinary history on her blog, FourPoundsFlour.com, and her work has been featured in publications as diverse as Edible Manhattan and NHK Japanese Public Television. Currently, she is featured in NYC-TV’s mini-series Appetite City cooking culinary treats from New York’s past. Sarah’s work with the Society focuses primarily on culinary-related events.
Ilana Kohn is a designer of the epoynous womenswear label and a student of historic architecture, having just received her Masters degree in historic preservation. She has an extensive background in illustration and her work has been seen in a variety of publications, including the New Yorker.