Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption=""EXIT" sign in the Smithsonian Institution Building (i.e. "The Castle Building"), by Adam Gerard, Creative Commons: Attribution BY-NC-SA 2.0."][/caption] We agree, Adam! The Smithsonian “Castle” takes the cake for vintage details. Via @voteprime on Twitter: “I am fascinated by this EXIT sign I saw at the Smithsonian
Description: The creation and design of the Smithsonian Institution Building, commonly known as the “Castle”, is no mystery; however, the stories of some of the early individuals involved in the formation of the Smithsonian’s collection are less commonly known. We need to ask who collected the specimens and produced research on the objects that visitors now see when they enter Smithsonian
Description: [caption id="attachment_541" align="alignleft" width="144" caption="Inscription inside Lincoln's watch, by Hugh Talman, 2009, National Museum of American History"][/caption] Does photography always report on the past? Recently, as part of the Lincoln Bicentennial celebration, the Smithsonian took a closer look at a rare Lincoln object that possessed a secret message.
Description: [edan-image:id=siris_arc_383399,size=180,right]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
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="405" caption="Lucille St. Hoyme (1924-2001), J. Lawrence Angel (1915-1986), and Thomas Dale Stewart (1901-1997), 1967, by Smithsonian Institution Office of Public Affairs, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Lucille St. Hoyme (1924-2001), J. Lawrence Angel (1915-1986), and Thomas Dale Stewart (1901-1997), 1967, by Smithsonian Institution