If you find yourself running from a summer rainstorm in Central Park or nostalgic for a man in a blue jacket pedaling by, there’s still time to catch Celebrating Bill Cunningham at the New-York Historical Society.

Highlighting the recent acquisition of objects, photos and correspondence of the milliner-turned-writer-turned-photographer, the show is an intimate step into the world of the beloved yet mysterious style authority. Great focus is put on his millinery — there are clippings about his hat business from his future employer, The New York Times, and eye-catching samples, including a 1960 orange rooster-feathered beach hat once described as “a bit outrageous” by its own creator. While not what Cunningham was ultimately known for, this early work sets the stage for both his fashion sense and respectful voyeurism. In a film by Josef Astor, his former neighbor in Carnegie Hall, Cunningham recalls going about his business as Marilyn Monroe flitted in to try on hats, and Katherine Hepburn hiding from the press on the stairs.

It is, not surprisingly, the cameras and battered bicycle (sturdy lock included) that draw the most attention, but a few black and white contact sheets, as well as Cunningham’s notes on his Times pages, feel particularly intimate, giving a glimpse into the process of culling thousands of photos into cohesive dispatches on the state of fashion.

Tucked into a little pocket of the stately museum, one sees the full exhibition to the tune of Astor’s film, a friendly studio visit that touches on Jackie Kennedy, transitioning to photography and, of course, fashion. “Wigs killed our business,” Cunningham jovially declares. “People pulled them on for a bad hair day instead of a hat. But that’s neither here nor there. That’s fashion. You gotta go with history, dearie.”

Celebrating Bill Cunningham is on view at the New-York Historical Society through September 9.