From a human perspective, there’s no such thing as an objective object. Anything that comes to a person’s attention — a rock, a tree, a dog, a painting, another person — will evoke ideas, feelings, memories and fantasies. Every object tells a story.

Depending on where you live, some objects speak more resonantly than others. If New York City is or ever was your home, you’ll find numerous such eloquent items in “A Brief History of New York: Selections from ‘A History of New York in 101 Objects,’ ” a small jewel box of an exhibition at the New-York Historical Society.