Description: Meredith Smith Diggs was employed at the Smithsonian in different capacities and was closely associated with the second Secretary of the Smithsonian, Spencer Fullerton Baird. Through Diggs' correspondence we can get a small glimpse of his life and work at the Smithsonian.
Description: Barbeque. Doughboy. Free trade. Pumple-nose. Smugglers. Cortan. Crockadore. Chopsticks. William Dampier, the 17th century explorer turned privateer/pirate, is credited with introducing these words, and more than 1,000 others, into the English vernacular. He was the first explorer to circumnavigate the globe three times, and created the first detailed record of Australian Flora
Description: In 1864, Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth sparked people’s imagination, but have you heard that before the novel was published, the Smithsonian attempted a journey of its own.
Description: For those of us too young to have understood the impact of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and to those who watched breathlessly as the it came down, this should interest you: an augmented reality app that projects a 3-D rendering of the Berlin Wall at its former site with the help of a smartphone. It was as big as a . . . The US Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity
Description: An intimate look at the painting conservation studio at the National Gallery of Art. [via NPR]A newly discovered species of wasp was named in honor of David Bowie. [via Mashable]The Smithsonian is just one of the organizations banning drinking straws due to the environmental harm they cause. [via Washington Post]Can real coral reefs be saved by artificial ones? [via Fusion
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
Description: The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) has undergone many name changes over the years. One of these – the National Collection of Fine Arts (NCFA) – was in use from 1937 to 1980. During this time, the NCFA underwent several exciting changes. After years of being housed in multiple locations and several failed attempts to build a permanent building, the collection moved to
Description: Explore our interns’ new techniques for preservation of maps at NMNH: a map transportation tool, a rehousing plan, and training for volunteers.
Description: Note: I'll be on vacation for the next two weeks, so look for Link Love to start again on July 22nd! We’ve been blogging about the Civil War and the Smithsonian for the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, and others across the Smithsonian have been doing the same. Over at NPR’s Picture show blog, photography curator Shannon Perich shares some incredible animated Civil War-era