Finding Aid - Contains Digitized Material

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Finding Aids to Official Records of the Smithsonian Institution Archives

Record Unit 371

Smithsonian Institution. Office of Public Affairs

The Torch, 1955-1960, 1965-1988

Repository:Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C. Contact us at osiaref@si.edu.
Creator:Smithsonian Institution. Office of Public Affairs
Title:The Torch
Dates:1955-1960, 1965-1988
Quantity:5 cu. ft. (5 record storage boxes)
Collection:Record Unit 371
Language of Materials:English
Summary:

These records consist of two copies (when available) of each issue of "The Torch." Issues since roughly 1972 also include prints of some of the photographs for that issue. Not every photograph is included -- only those transferred with the records. In some instances, there is a notation that a photograph was returned to its owner. In others, there is no explanation.

Descriptive Entry

The Torch, a newspaper for Smithsonian Institution employees, was first published in 1955 by the Office of Information and later by its successor, the Office of Public Affairs. The publication appeared somewhat sporadically until 1960, when it stopped, to resume in 1965. Since that time, it has appeared monthly in a larger format. Occasional special issues mark events such as the opening of a major museum or a change in the administration of the Institution.

Articles in The Torch concern exhibitions, events, seasonal happenings, administrative changes, job moves, retirements, marriages, births, and deaths. Also included are features on individual staff members, concerning interesting aspects of their jobs, sports, or hobbies.

These records consist of two copies (when available) of each issue of The Torch. Issues since roughly 1972 also include prints of some of the photographs for that issue. Not every photograph is included-only those transferred with the records. In some instances, there is a notation that a photograph was returned to its owner. In others, there is no explanation.

Many of the images in this collection are available online.

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This collection is indexed under the following access terms. These are links to collections with related topics, persons or places.

Name

Subject

Physical Characteristics of Materials in the Collection

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Preferred Citation

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 371, Smithsonian Institution, Office of Public Affairs, The Torch

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Container List

Box 1

The Torch, March 1955-November 1973. Includes photographs.

Box 1 of 5

Box 2

The Torch, January 1974-December 1978. Includes photographs.

Box 2 of 5

Box 3

The Torch, January 1979-December 1981. Includes photographs.

Box 3 of 5

Box 4

The Torch, January 1982-December 1985. Includes photographs.

Box 4 of 5

Box 5

The Torch, January 1986-December 1988. Includes photographs.

Box 5 of 5