Description: There are several ways to date postcards that are seemingly undated. This page provides a few general methods for determining a time period or date for postcards.GENERAL POSTCARD CHRONOLOGY[edan-image:id=siris_sic_13846,size=250,left]Postcard producers printed cards that followed the current trends of postcards. Dates can be approximated by the material and design of a
Description: The National Postal Museum was established by an agreement between the Smithsonian and the United States Postal Service in 1990. However, its extensive collections of stamps and other philatelic materials date back to 1886. The Postal Museum is housed in the lower level of the former Washington City Post Office Building, which was built in 1914. The postcards in this gallery
Description: The National Museum of American History first opened to the public in 1964 as the Museum of History and Technology. In 1980, a bill signed by President Jimmy Carter changed the museum’s name to the National Museum of American History. The postcards in this gallery show objects on display at the museum, as well as views of the building. Some objects that are now in the National
Description: This is the latest post in our "Hot Topix" series. In each quarterly edition we show you what the reference team has been up to, and bring you some of the more notable inuqires we have received.Vicarious research is one of the great joys of the reference desk at the Smithsonian Institution Archives. From our front-row (well, only-row) seat outside the reading room, we catch
Description: The Freer Gallery of Art’s collections were donated to the Smithsonian in 1906 and its building opened in 1923. It was the first Smithsonian museum specializing in fine arts. The building was designed by Charles A. Platt in the Italian Renaissance style. The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery was established in 1982 to complement the Freer, and it opened in 1987. Together, the Freer