Description: Entertaining "Page Not Found' 404's from museums. [via Hyperallergic]Paleontologist Nick Pyenson, Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, used museum collections to determine the reason baleen whales became gigantic. Plus you can help transcribe specimen labels from our Fossil Marine Invertebrates collection! [via NY Times] Harvard archivists found what they believe
Description: [edan-image:id=siris_arc_395259,size=200,center]Check out the nearly 700 newly-digitized images from the Smithsonian's National Zoo in 1973. [via Bigger Picture]Speaking of the zoo, cheetah cub overload! [via CBS]The Rocky Mountain National Park published over 210 recordings online including more than 60 bird species, natural soundscapes, and wildlife vocalizations including
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="A sculpted bust of Secretary Emeritus S. Dillon Ripley was unveiled on May 11, 1990, in the S. Dillon Ripley International Center, Ripley stands next to the newly unveiled art work, May 11, 1990, by Rick Vargas, Photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 98-015, Box 2, Folder:July 1990, Negative
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="416" caption="The Art Room in the East Wing of the Smithsonian Institution Building, created by third Secretary Samuel P. Langley. The furnishings were specially designed by Hornblower and Marshall. Encircling the room was a plaster copy of the Parthenon frieze and carbon photographs by Adolphe Braun of Old Master portraits and
Description: There is a remarkable figure in the Smithsonian’s history that doesn’t get much of the spotlight; Thomas W. Smillie. He served as the Smithsonian’s first official photographer from 1870 until his death in 1917, and additionally became the Smithsonian’s first photography curator in 1896. Smillie amassed a collection of photographic equipment starting with the purchase of the
Description: A salamander, the axolotl, found in Mexico that once numbered in the 6000s/square kilometer is now down to 35. [via Scientific American]As we know, the Biodiversity Heritage Library has a lot of gorgeous images of natural specimen, in fact over 2 million of them, and it includes some from the Archives! [via Open Culture]Beatles fans, John Lennon's stolen diary was recovered by
Description: Each Monday, sit back, relax, and ease into the work week with puzzles created from images in our collections that have been designated as open access. Anyone can now download, transform, share, and reuse these images as part of Smithsonian Open Access, launched in 2020.Recently, the Archives added 254 new images to the web that are designated as open access. These photographs
Description: Oh those adorable/creepy Medieval beasts...[via Hyperallergic]Did you miss the Society of American Archivists annual conference? The proceedings are now available for a modest fee! [via SAA]Brought to you by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, track the solar eclipse with their new app. [via Smithsonian Associates]Kind of irresistible: Legos of retro technology. [via
Description: Surreal, doctored historic images by Nicolas Monterrat. [via Colossal]Europeana announced the winners of the 2017 Gif It Up competition! [via Europeana blog]Chinese researchers are starting the daunting task of digitizing more than 200,000 volumes of Mongolian books and documents, including a rare Mongolian version of the Tibetan Buddhist classic Kangyur from 1720. [via
Description: Starting in 1977, the National Air and Space Museum, with assistance from the International Frisbee Association, Wham-O Manufacturing Company, volunteer instructors from several states, and the Washington Area Frisbee Club, held their first Frisbee Festival on the National Mall.
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Mrs. Walter (Joan) Mondale playing the drums after a press conference at the National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) with, (l-r), Rep. Lindy Boggs, Rep. Walter E. Fauntroy, Warren Robbins (founder of the Museum) and Sen. Wendell Anderson, 1978, by Richard K. Hofmeister, Black and white photographic print, Smithsonian
Description: [caption id="" align="alignright" width="147" caption="Walt Whitman, 1875, by Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Chalk on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Robert Tyler Davis Memorial Fund, 1980.73."][/caption] Fascinating interview with poet Robert Roper, who dug into the National Archives to examine the moving letters poet Walt Whitman wrote to family