Description: For the last year the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has been preparing to celebrate its 100 year anniversary. As part of the celebration, curators and archivists have been combing the files in preparation for an exhibition of historic photographs that will describe the museum’s history. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="218" caption="Photomicrograph
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="442" caption="View of Canyon, 1873, by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, Black and white photoprint on cardboard mount, National Anthropological Archives, SPC Sw Gen NM 113605 01861700, Local Number: NAA INV 01861700."][/caption] I paid another visit to the Timothy O’Sullivan exhibition now on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and a
Description: Closed to the public since 2004, the Arts and Industries Building remains closed for the foreseeable future. Here is a look back at what used to be there.
Description: Framing the West is a new exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. It features 120 of the extraordinary photographs Timothy O’Sullivan made for the King and Wheeler Surveys, two of the most important geological surveys of the western United States. The exhibition demonstrates not only the ability of the camera to capture the details of place, but the talent of
Description: A couple of years ago, in the process of curating Now is Then, an exhibition for the Newark Museum, I spent some time researching and thinking about the content, meaning and sequential lives of snapshots. Since their introduction in the late 19th century, inestimable numbers of those small, but powerful pictures have been made, looked at and saved—at least for a while.
Description: At SPI, we were sad to learn that Jessie Cohen died earlier this week. Jessie was one of the photographic mainstays at the Smithsonian; she started working at the Smithsonian National Zoo in 1979, photographing animals, their living quarters, and behind-the-scenes events for exhibition, education, and marketing purposes. In addition, Jessie also managed the Zoo’s exhibition