Description: 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 tantalizing glimpses of our patrons’ manifold research topics.The reference team fields around 6,000 queries per year. Ask us what people have been researching recently, and you’ll get into some
Description: Explore our collections and see the evolution of the postcard by looking through the image galleries below. The galleries include both postcards of Smithsonian museums, research facilities, iconic objects and non-Smithsonian themed postcards.
Description: S. Dillon Ripley, the eighth Secretary of the Smithsonian, wanted the Smithsonian to have a contemporary art museum. He worked tirelessly to persuade Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1899-1981) to donate his collections to the Smithsonian. On November 7, 1966, the collections of Hirshhorn officially came under the auspices of the Smithsonian. The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden