Looking for love

Across the Smithsonian, in hundreds of photographic collections, you’ll find images that document historic objects and events, species on land and under the oceans, cultural achievement, and data that streams in from outer space on a daily basis. But in the course of sorting through those images—as we often do—we come across photos that reflect or reveal things less easily pictured or pinned down, like emotions. To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’ve combed through Smithsonian archives and databases for images about love and romance. And as you might expect, and know from experience, love sometimes turns up in the strangest of places.