Each Monday, sit back, relax, and ease into the work week with puzzles created from images in our collections that have been designated as open access. Anyone can now download, transform, share, and reuse these images as part of Smithsonian Open Access, launched in 2020.
For National Bird Day tomorrow, this week’s open access puzzle features a glimpse into the offices of the Department of Birds in the Smithsonian Institution Building, or the Castle, in the 1880s. Pictured at his desk is Leonhard Stejneger, who worked for the United States National Museum for six decades.
In 1881, Stejneger left Norway for the United States, where he soon began working with the bird collections at the Smithsonian Institution. In December 1884, he was appointed assistant curator in the Department of Birds under Robert Ridgway, and in 1889, Stejneger became the first full-time curator for the Department of Reptiles and Batrachians. By 1911, he was appointed head curator of the Department of Biology, a role he held until his death in 1943.
The Original
The Puzzle
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