Smithsonian 175th Film Fest: Looking Back to 150

Promo GIF. On the left is a moving image of a firework display near the Smithsonian Castle. On the r

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We’re ending this Smithsonian 175th Film Fest series with a party. Well, a video of a party. In 1996, as the Smithsonian was celebrating its 150th anniversary, National Museum of Natural History volunteer Mignon Davis picked up her Hi8 Camcorder and documented the celebrations. She stopped at exhibitions, spoke with Smithsonian staff, caught musical performances, and captured scenes from a firework show near the Smithsonian Castle

In our final program on Friday, August 26, at 12 p.m., we’ll be joined by Mignon Davis and Archives digital archivist Lynda Schmitz Fuhrig. They’ll take us back to the Smithsonian’s 150th birthday party and provide some background to the film. Additionally, Schmitz Fuhrig will share about how the video arrived at the Archives and her work as a digital archivist.

About the Smithsonian 175th Film Fest

To celebrate the Smithsonian’s 175th anniversary, the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives is hosting monthly programs featuring films from the collections of the Smithsonian Institution Archives. The series will be hosted virtually between August 2021 and August 2022.

In addition to the film screenings, archivists, conservators, and subject experts will also provide some context to the videos, share a little about their work, and answer questions from the audience during the one-hour programs.

There are multiple ways to watch. Audiences can either register for the webinar or tune into the livestream on our YouTube channel homepage.

Date: 
Friday, August 26, 2022 - 12:00pm