Smithsonite with James Smithson Medallion

Summary

Sample of Smithsonite, a carbonate of zinc named in honor of James Smithson, mineralogist and founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution, in 1832, three years after his death. In an 1802 paper, Smithson proved calamines were true minerals, not oxides of zinc as the renowned mineralogist l'abbe Rene Just Hauy (1743-1822) had claimed. The James Smithson medallion has been placed in front of the Smithsonite.

Subject

• Smithson, James 1765-1829
• National Museum of Natural History (U.S.) Dept. of Mineral Sciences
• National Museum of Natural History (U.S.)
• United States National Museum Dept. of Geology
• United States National Museum Division of Mineralogy and Petrology

Category

Historic Images of the Smithsonian

Notes

NMNH Specimen #s R2518-3, 147625, R17868, R15675

Contained within

Smithsonian Institution Archives Record Unit 95 Box 21 Folder 4

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

1995

Restrictions & Rights

No restrictions

Topic

• Smithsonite
• Mineralogy
• Specimens
• National Collections

Form/Genre

• Photographic print
• Object

ID Number

95-3573-10

Physical description

Color: Black and White; Size: 2 1/2w x 8h x 6d - 5w x 2.5h x 2.5d; Type of Image: Object; Medium: Photographic print

Full Record

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