Description: The theme of this year’s International Migratory Bird Day is unity. The Smithsonian has a longstanding history of commitment to the natural world. No figure in the Institution’s history better exemplifies the theme of unity surrounding migratory species than sixth Smithsonian Secretary and ornithologist Alexander Wetmore. He knew the importance of the role that birds play in
Description: Each Smithsonian Institution Archives collection has a life story. That narrative, much like the biography of a person, can explain how a collection's photographs, letters, and documents relate to each other. Closer inspection may also reveal hidden connections to other archival materials and can help in identifying photographers and writers. This new blog series will turn a
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="410" caption="Three staff members of the International Exchange Service are at work in the basement of the Smithsonian Institution Building, Note electric wiring is on ceiling. Wrapped packages are piled on the tables in the center and along the wall, Established in 1848, the International Exchange Service, administered by the
Description: To celebrate International Migratory Bird Day on May 9th, we will be releasing recently digitized specimen drawings by ornithologist Robert Ridgway (1850-1929.) Ridgway's career with the Smithsonian began in 1864 when he wrote asking for help identifying a bird. As they say, the rest is history. Starting in 1869, Ridgway became curator at the Smithsonian's United States