Meet some of the women who have managed aspects of the Smithsonian since the 1850s.        

Rotunda of the United States National Museum Natural History Building, now known as National Museum of Natural History, 1913.

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.

While digitizing the collection of Smithsonian entomologist Doris Holmes Blake, I discovered a treasure trove of correspondence that sheds light about growing up as a young woman in the mid-20^th century and the story of an intimate mother-daughter relationship.

Dr. Valerie Fletcher joined the research staff at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in 1978 and was promoted to a curatorial role in 1984. Fletcher worked as an Assistant and Associate Curator, 1984–92, Curator of Sculpture, 1992–2005, and Senior Curator, 2005–16. In retirement, Fletcher continues her research at the Museum as Senior Curator Emerita. #Groundbreaker

Exploring the career, commitment, and mentorship of Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute administrative powerhouse Adela Gómez.

Construction of Freer Gallery of Art, November 1, 1916, with Smithsonian Institution Building, or Castle, in view.

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.

Lucy Hunter Baird’s work on her father’s biography reveals a long history of strong, independent, and intellectually curious women in the Baird family. Lucy, who was inspired by their examples and supported by the Smithsonian’s second Secretary, developed her own expertise in natural history and exhibited a lifelong commitment to science.

Bridget Shea was the manager of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Samuel P. Langley IMAX Theater and the Albert Einstein Planetarium, 1992–97, and manager of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Samuel C. Johnson IMAX Theater, which she also helped design, 1997–2000. Shea supervised the operations of the theaters and prioritized accessibility services, such as closed captioning and audio descriptions. #Groundbreaker