Carte-de-visite of James Law (1838-1921), first veterinary professor at an American university, by Purdy & Frear.

Link Love: a weekly post with links to interesting videos and stories about archival issues, technology and culture, and Washington D.C. and American history.

In 2019, the Smithsonian faced the repercussions of the nation’s longest-ever government shutdown, but the institution is no stranger to the dreaded furlough.

Dr. Joan W. Nowicke, Curator, Department of Botany, was an internationally recognized palynologist specializing in pollen morphology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 1972–99. Nowicke earned special recognition in the 1980s for her work studying “Yellow Rain,” which some governments alleged was a form of chemical biological warfare. #Groundbreaker

The DMZ ecology project reveals the Smithsonian’s commitment to ecological research programs as well as the complexity and contingency of an international collaboration.

Cyanotype, Camp F.L. Guenther, U.S. Coast Artillery at the Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, New York, 1901.

A proud mother responded to news service’s request for a photograph of her physicist-son killed during World War I.

Priscilla L. Strain has worked for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies since 1974 as a Research Assistant, 1974-79, Geologist, 1979-87, and Program Manager, 1987–present. She is currently the curator of the museum’s lunar rock collection and manages the center’s exhibits and programs. #Groundbreaker

Lonnie G. Bunch III was installed as the Fourteenth Secretary of the Smithsonian on November 1, 2019 in the historic Arts and Industries Building. To celebrate this new day in Smithsonian history, let’s take a look back at installations past!