Description: [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="251" caption="Joseph Henry, first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (1846-1878), and his wife, Harriet Henry, and their daughters Caroline, Helen and Mary with croquet mallets on the grounds of the Smithsonian Institution Building, c.
Description: On June 14, 1777 the Continental Congress adopted the stars and stripes as the national flag and on the same day one hundred years later, the first observance of the Flag was held. However, it was not celebrated again on such a scale until 1916, in the midst of World War I, when President Woodrow Wilson pronounced the day Flag Day. Though not officially adopted by Congress as
Description: [caption id="attachment_8465" align="alignright" width="199" caption="Beth Antoine, Postgraduate Fellow in Conservation, conducts research on the letter or copy press books of Secretary Spencer F. Baird, Courtesy of Nora Lockshin."][/caption] One year ago on October 8th, after several years of planning, waiting, and building, the Smithsonian Center for Archives Conservation
Description: November is here and the leaves seem to finally be changing, which heralds the end of October is American Archives Month. Our 31-day Blogathon was a smashing success, garnering about 10,000 visits, and even though Archives month has come to a close, we will continue to post about our profession, our stories, and our wonderfully unique treasures. [caption id="attachment_9907"
Description: The exhibition brochure for "Mathew Brady's Portraits," September 26, 1997 to January 4, 1998 at the National Portrait Gallery mimics a mid-19th century gazette.
Description: Today is National Hug day! If you are feeling a little hug deprived don’t worry, we have scoured our collections to find you the best image of animals embracing the day.
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: On June 14, 1777 the Continental Congress adopted the stars and stripes as the national flag and on the same day one hundred years later, the first observance of the Flag was held. However, it was not celebrated again on such a scale until 1916, in the midst of World War I, when President Woodrow Wilson pronounced the day Flag Day. Though not officially adopted by Congress as
Description: Ever heard of The Impossible Project? When Polaroid announced they would stop production of instant film, these folks saved the last Polaroid production plant in the Netherlands, and started to develop new instant film with a small team of former Polaroid employees. Check out some shots of Smithsonian museums taken by Aaron Dunn and created with the fruits of their labor. What