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Record Unit 376,  National Museum of American History, Division of Electricity and Modern Physics,  Exhibition Records, circa 1981-1982

Repository:Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C. Contact us at osiaref@si.edu.
Creator:National Museum of American History, Division of Electricity and Modern Physics
Title:Exhibition Records
Dates:circa 1981-1982
Quantity:0.8 linear meter.
Collection:Record Unit 376
Language of Materials:English
Summary:

Materials include correspondence and memoranda between Molella and historical societies, museums, and NMAH departments and divisions pertaining to the development of the exhibition. Also included are exhibition scripts documenting the early political years of Roosevelt and his presidency, especially emphasizing his skillful use of radio and the fireside chats during the 1930s and 1940s; exhibition blueprints and floor plans; research notes, particularly about the history of radio technology; exhibit proposals; minutes of meetings; photocopies of articles on Roosevelt radio programs and New Deal-era murals; symposium literature; photographs; and newspaper clippings concerning exhibition reviews.

Historical Note

On January 30, 1982, the National Museum of American History (NMAH) mounted FDR: The Intimate Presidency, a major exhibition recounting Roosevelt's relationship with the American people through mass media, particularly radio broadcasting. The exhibition was created to commemorate the one-hundredth anniversary of Roosevelt's birth. Arthur P. Molella, Curator of the Division of Electricity and Modern Physics, oversaw organization of the exhibition and was involved with research, catalog publication, and symposia. When the exhibition closed on August 1, 1982, it toured under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

Descriptive Entry

Records include correspondence and memoranda between Molella and historical societies, museums, and NMAH departments and divisions pertaining to the development of the exhibition. Also included are exhibition scripts documenting the early political years of Roosevelt and his presidency, especially emphasizing his skillful use of radio and the fireside chats during the 1930s and 1940s; exhibition blueprints and floor plans; research notes, particularly about the history of radio technology; exhibit proposals; minutes of meetings; photocopies of articles on Roosevelt radio programs and New Deal-era murals; symposium literature; photographs; and newspaper clippings concerning exhibition reviews.

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

Name

Subject

Preferred Citation

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 376, National Museum of American History, Division of Electricity and Modern Physics, Exhibition Records

Container List

Box 1

Scripts (2 folders)

Box 1 of 2

SITES (Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service)

Box 1 of 2

Letters Regarding FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) Exhibit, 1981-1982

Box 1 of 2

Photo Journalism

Box 1 of 2

Blueprints of Exhibition

Box 1 of 2

Journal of the Archives of American Art, January 1964

Box 1 of 2

Camera Set Up for "Fireside Chat"

Box 1 of 2

FDR Symposium

Box 1 of 2

Publicity

Box 1 of 2

Film Production

Box 1 of 2

Slides, notes on

Box 1 of 2

Music Proposals

Box 1 of 2

Proposals

Box 1 of 2

Sources and Resources

Box 1 of 2

Schedule of Performances

Box 1 of 2

Stapleton, Jean / Val-Kill

Box 1 of 2

General Production, notes on

Box 1 of 2

Correspondence: Roosevelt, Franklin D., Jr.

Box 1 of 2

Terant House

Box 1 of 2

FDR Vehicle

Box 1 of 2

Catalog Planning

Box 1 of 2

Minutes of Meetings

Box 1 of 2

Public Response

Box 1 of 2

FDR Quotes

Box 1 of 2

Articles on Television Presentation

Box 1 of 2

Federal Art Patronage & "New Deal" Research Information

Box 1 of 2

Political Campaign Music Themes of the 1930s.

Box 1 of 2

FDR Library

Box 1 of 2

Technology during the FDR Presidency

Box 1 of 2

Radio Announcements

Box 1 of 2

Articles on FDR relations with the Press and Radio.

Box 1 of 2

"Fireside Chat" Broadcast Room

Box 1 of 2

Newspaper Clippings (2 folders)

Box 1 of 2

Curtis, Charles Grant, Jr.: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Commonwealth of Broadcasting (1978)

Box 1 of 2

Box 2

FDR's Disability

Box 2 of 2

Articles on Murals and "New Deal" Art

Box 2 of 2

Reader's Guide Listings 1932-1941

Box 2 of 2

FDR Research Articles and other Information

Box 2 of 2

Index of American Design

Box 2 of 2

Murals, notes on

Box 2 of 2

Response from the Public - Possible Objects

Box 2 of 2

Immigrant Home

Box 2 of 2

Photographs, information on

Box 2 of 2

Notes and Logs

Box 2 of 2

West Corridor

Box 2 of 2

Writer's Project

Box 2 of 2

Dows, Olin: "Murals in the Hyde Park, New York, Post Office."

Box 2 of 2

March of Dimes

Box 2 of 2

FDR's Stamp Collection

Box 2 of 2

WPA (Works Progress Administration) [photocopies of photographs]

Box 2 of 2

Rayna Notes

Box 2 of 2

Warm Springs, Georgia

Box 2 of 2

Ronald Reagan on FDR [newspaper clipping]

Box 2 of 2

Letters to FDR [photocopied]

Box 2 of 2

FSA (Farm Security Administration) and Documenting Photographs

Box 2 of 2

Script Notes

Box 2 of 2

Motion Picture and Sound Recording

Box 2 of 2

FDR and Music as Communication

Box 2 of 2

Federal Theatre

Box 2 of 2

USO Operations; World War II

Box 2 of 2

Exhibit Specimen Log (2 folders)

Box 2 of 2