Description: Spencer Fullerton Baird - Smithsonian Secretary, 1878-1887 ". . . a National Museum, of which (let me whisper it) I hope to be director." -Letter from Spencer Fullerton Baird to George Perkins Marsh, Smithsonian Regent, July 2, 1853 Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823-1887), an avid naturalist and collector, served as an assistant to Secretary Joseph Henry from 1850 to 1878. This
Description: Biographical information can be found throughout the Archives’ holdings. These collections are especially rich in material documenting Smithsonian staff and scientific collaborators. Accession 05-123, Smithsonian Institution, Personnel Records, 1892–1952 This accession consists of early personnel records. Notable staff include: C.G. (Charles Greeley) Abbot, Carl Whiting
Description: Photographs and other images at the Smithsonian Institution Archives are not in a central file, but are dispersed throughout its collections. However, there are a few collections which are mostly devoted to photographs. Many digitized images from these and other collections can be found Archives' Collection Search. Most online images can be downloaded in low resolution
Description: Throughout his twenty-five years as a Science Service journalist, Frank Thone maintained an active correspondence with fellow scientists and conservationists. His letters in the Smithsonian Institution Archives both preserve his wit and offer a glimpse at the informal networking that helped shape how Americans perceived the natural world. One of Thone’s correspondents was a