Description: A brief biographical sketch of Roxie Laybourne, an Ornithologist who specialized in feather identification and pioneered the field of forensic ornithology.
Description: Roxie Collie Laybourne pioneered the field of forensic ornithology through her study of bird feathers, which has meant improved aviation safety.
Description: 435 high resolution book plates of gorgeous illustrations from Audubon's The Birds of America are now available for free download! [via Hyperallergic]And after you're done with the plates, check out peacock feathers under a high magnification lens, by artist Waldo Nell. [via Wired]University students are working to save the remaining copies of a black-owned newspaper, The
Description: Birds of a feather flock together, especially if they are a pair of patriotic turkeys who took up residency at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
Description: What Not to Wear: The National Portrait Gallery has a dramatic before/after makeover of James Monroe. Check out this great profile of our photograph archivist, Marguerite Roby. The NY Times Opinionator weighs in on in what exactly constitutes an “heirloom,” what this means in a throw-away culture, and the reasons why we save (or try and get rid of) so many dusty old things
Description: 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.
Description: Each week, the Archives features a woman who has been a groundbreaker at the Smithsonian, past or present, in a series titled Wonderful Women Wednesday.
Description: Grab your popcorn! To mark the Smithsonian’s 175th anniversary this year, the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives will host monthly virtual programs featuring films from the collections of the Smithsonian Institution Archives. Register today.
Description: [edan-image:id=siris_arc_308449,size=250,left]Though Roxie Laybourne may be a well-known topic here in the Smithsonian Institution Archives, there is a good reason she is so popular. From good advice to her pioneering career to modern day inspiration, her work offers new insight each time we turn to it. Laybourne’s interest in natural history began long before she began her
Description: [edan-image:id=siris_arc_391843,size=300,center]By the 1960s, Science Service had been acquiring photographs of scientists, obscure as well as famous, for over four decades. Portraits of Edison or Einstein were always in demand, but experience had also shown that bright, accomplished young people might someday be awarded a major prize or make a discovery deemed