Description: The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) are two different museums that had their origins in the Smithsonian’s National Gallery of Art. They have been housed in the old Patent Office Building since 1968. The American Art Museum was established in 1907 under the name “National Gallery of Art.” The National Portrait Gallery was
Description: The National Zoological Park was conceived by William Temple Hornaday and established by an act of Congress in 1889. The Smithsonian’s collection of living animals was originally intended to aid taxidermists’ studies, but Smithsonian Secretaries Spencer F. Baird and Samuel P. Langley helped expand the small menagerie’s purpose. Today it houses over 2,000 animals of around 400