Description: A look at the preservation of a box of Wheaties cereal featuring Native American Olympian, Jim Thorpe, how ordinary objects become museum icons, and the problem of food in museum collections.
Description: Perfect fodder for animated gifs; zootropes. [via Unfunk]Send SFMOMA a text and it will respond with art! [via SFMOMA]Eerie plaster casts of people and animals in their final moments before being buried in Pompeii. [via Atlas Obscura]Weighing newborn babies wasn't "a thing" until the 20th century. [via O Say Can You See, National Museum of American History]Archives Unleashed
Description: It is with sadness that I report that Mitch Toda is stepping down as the blog coordinator. Since 2011, Mitch Toda has been the man behind-the-scenes making sure everything runs smoothly. As a staff archivist, he works daily with the records he takes in from Smithsonian museums and offices such as the new National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Office of
Description: In 1872, at the young age of twenty-five, Mori Arinori (1847-1889) traveled to America as the first Charge d’Affaires from the Meiji government. His trip included a visit to the Smithsonian where he established a close relationship with Smithsonian Secretary Joseph Henry.
Description: [caption id="" align="alignright" width="198" caption="Screenshot from music video "Smooth Criminal" by Michael Jackson, Shows use of anti-gravity leaning patent, Courtesy of Wikipedia."][/caption] Umm, this definitely wins the award for my most favorite new discovery in an archive. How did Michael Jackson do that off the hook lean in his dance in “Smooth Criminal”? Apparently