Description: Everyone loves a parade – especially one followed by a banquet. When scientists and politicians met in Washington, D.C., on November 23, 1936, to celebrate the centennial of the U.S. patent system, they listened first to a conventional program of speeches. Then, in the afternoon, Science Service director Watson Davis arranged something different: a “Research Parade” featuring
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="303" caption="Photographer holding large folding camera, by unidentified photographer, c. 1935, National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center, Archives Center."][/caption] Recently photography has said goodbye to two industry icons. Polaroid stopped production of its instant film, and Kodak announced that it is
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="360" caption="Steven Cohn, the Smithsonian’s Office of Safety, Health and Environmental Management and the museum’s representative Industrial Hygienist, tests Owney's fur for arsenic, lead and mercury. Courtesy of the National Postal Museum "Pushing the Envelope" blog."][/caption] More interesting preservation challenges. We’ve covered
Description: [caption id="attachment_1433" align="aligncenter" width="263" caption="Outdated kodachrome '73, '79, '83, by Goodimages."][/caption] Recently, Kodak announced it was discontinuing production of Kodachrome products. Known for its vibrant color, Kodachrome, was a child of the Depression, a process invented by two musicians—violinist Leopold Godowski Jr. and pianist Leopold
Description: [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Untitled, by Unidentified photographer, c. 1905, Smithsonian Institution Archives"][/caption] In keeping with our summer travel theme, I began to investigate some of the ways in which photographers were first able to travel with their cameras. To give a brief background, the invention of photography in 1839 coincided with