Description: Throughout the next months, the Smithsonian Institution Archives will feature posts related to the Smithsonian and the Civil War in honor of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. On July 21, 1861, the First Battle of Manassas raged just thirty miles southwest of Washington DC and the Smithsonian Institution Building that housed Secretary Joseph Henry and his family.
Description: 1903 Oldsmobile gasoline automobile in front of the Army Medical Museum and Library at Independence Avenue and 7th Street, SW, Washington, D.C., 1940s, SIA Acc. 11-006, MAH-44002A.
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="399" caption="In the dim recesses of the basement of the National Museum of Natural History, marine researcher Walter H. Adey and a team of co-workers succeeded in developing a functioning, growing coral reef, 1979, Richard Farrar, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 98-016, Box 1, Folder: Research Reports Spring 1979, Negative
Description: Memorable animated gifs for the directionally-challenged! [via Atlas Obscura]Can't wait for Spring 2019 to see the next GoT? A neural network has written the first chapter. [via Motherboard]The history of toys that have enduring popularity (think Slinky and time will tell on the fidget spinner). [via Inc.]The British Library is considering a single digital portal. [via
Description: The Smithsonian’s scientists and naturalists were, and still are, constantly on the move. When they weren’t in the field, they were in the museum studying collected specimens, writing papers, and getting ready for the next series of trips. Dr. Waldo LaSalle Schmitt (1887-1977) was no exception.Logistics is a special skill, an essential one when traveling on scientific
Description: This is post is part of our series on career advice for the aspiring archives professional. Each edition features information and career advice from a different member of the Smithsonian Institution Archives team, regarding what they do, how they got here, and how you can too. Don’t be afraid to let us know who you might like to hear from next!What is preservation? This is a
Description: A secret trash archive in New York City's Sanitation Department? [via Atlas Obscura]MoMA released 65,000 works of early 20th century modernists online. [via Open Culture]NOT for lunchtime browsing; the Mütter museum's new website gives you a close look at diseased bodies and "terrifying surgical instruments." [via Mental Floss]The Library of Congress is focusing on preserving
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