Fisheries Exhibits, United States National Museum, 1886, by United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B42_F18_003.

Smithsonian Open Access-iversary

Take a look at CC0 content we have posted in the year since the Smithsonian Open Access launch!
February 25, 2021, by Marguerite Roby

It’s been one year since the launch of the Smithsonian Open Access initiative and we have the perfect gift for you in celebration of our first anniversary! Since February 2020, we have designated about 2,800 more photographic prints as CC0, making them eligible for download and reuse, bringing our grand total to just over 5,000 records! Hailing from the recently digitized Record Unit 95 collection of historic photographs pertaining to the history of the Smithsonian, these prints cover a broad range of topics, including:

  • Expositions – Smithsonian’s participation in and documentation of international expositions
  • Exhibitions – Documentation of Smithsonian exhibits over the years
  • Buildings and Spaces – Interior views and grounds of the Smithsonian Institution Building, or Castle, and early photographs of the National Zoological Park
  • Notable Persons – Cartes-de-visite and cabinet cards of notable 19th-century scientists, politicians, educators, United States National Museum staff, and Board of Regents members

See below for some of my favorite standouts from our newest additions to Smithsonian Open Access.

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Drawing of Spencer Fullerton Baird's Pet Dog "Neptune"

Drawing of Spencer Fullerton Baird's Pet Dog "Neptune," Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B27_079.

Relocation of Joseph Henry Statue

Relocation of Joseph Henry Statue, November 8, 1934, by United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B31_F19_002.

Division of Marine Invertebrates, Lower Main Hall, Smithsonian Institution Building, or Castle

Division of Marine Invertebrates, Lower Main Hall, Smithsonian Institution Building, or Castle, March 1904, by United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B31_F43_001.

International Exchange Service, Smithsonian Institution Building, or Castle

International Exchange Service, Smithsonian Institution Building, or Castle, circa 1900s, by United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B31A_F35_002.

Meteorite Analysis, Geology Laboratory - Edward Porter Henderson

Meteorite Analysis, Geology Laboratory - Edward Porter Henderson, between 1929 and 1934, by United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B31A_F36_001.

National Zoological Park, Construction of Bear Cages at Rock Quarry

National Zoological Park, Construction of Bear Cages at Rock Quarry, June 4, 1891, by Charles Milton Bell, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B35_F02_007.

Lower Main Hall Exhibits, Smithsonian Institution Building, or Castle

Lower Main Hall Exhibits, Smithsonian Institution Building, or Castle, between 1865 and 1867, published by John F. Jarvis, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B41_F15_017.

Fisheries Exhibits, United States National Museum

Fisheries Exhibits, United States National Museum, 1886, by United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B42_F18_003.

Installation of Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy Exhibits, United States National Museum

Installation of Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy Exhibits, United States National Museum, 1881, by United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B43_F14_010.

Systematic Geology Exhibits, United States National Museum

Systematic Geology Exhibits, United States National Museum, between 1898 and 1903, by United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B43_F26_003.

Vertebrate Fossil Exhibit, Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, Natural History Building - Plesippus

Vertebrate Fossil Exhibit, Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, Natural History Building - Plesippus Horses, circa 1935, by United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B44A_F14_013.

Post Office Department exhibits in the Palace of Mines and Metallurgy at Panama-Pacific Internationa

Post Office Department exhibits in the Palace of Mines and Metallurgy at Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California, 1915, by United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B63_F12_005.

Cast and Skeleton of Blue Whale at Louisiana Purchase Exposition

Cast and skeleton of blue whale presented by the United States National Museum at Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, Missouri, 1904, by United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B65A_F06_005.

Portrait of Frank Hamilton Cushing

Portrait of Frank Hamilton Cushing, anthropologist and ethnologist, before 1893, by Charles Milton Bell, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B27A_089.

National Zoological Park, American Bison

National Zoological Park, American Bison, circa 1890s, by United States National Museum Photographic Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Image no. SIA_000095_B46_F13_011.

Related Collections

  • Smithsonian Institution, Photograph Collection, Record Unit 95, Smithsonian Institution Archives

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