Description: A look at the preservation of a box of Wheaties cereal featuring Native American Olympian, Jim Thorpe, how ordinary objects become museum icons, and the problem of food in museum collections.
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="232" caption="The flag pole on the top of the Flag Tower of the Smithsonian Institution Building with the American flag and the new flag of the Smithsonian Institution, 1996, by Eric Long, Color photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 97-074, Box 1, Folder, Birthday Party on the Mall Bell and Flag, Negative Number:
Description: Did you know that May is National Photography Month? Declared by Congress as a month-long event in 1987, National Photography Month celebrates all aspects of photography. We invite you to see what our photographers were up to a century before this declaration in this behind- the-scenes slideshow of the photographic laboratory spaces, set-ups, and equipment of the United States
Description: Dr. Jennifer Whitten, postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies of the National Air & Space Museum, studies radar data to understand the surface geology of Venus, Mars, and the Moon. #Groundbreaker
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="408" caption="Roof of the United States National Museum (now the National Museum of Natural History) and Buildings of the City of Washington, D.C., c. 1920s, by Unknown photographer, Photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 562, Box 1, Negative Number:2003-19563. "][/caption]
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="339" caption="Secretary Leonard Carmichael and guests are at the dedication of the Museum of History and Technology, now known as National Museum of American History, January 24, 1964, by Unidentified photographer, Photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 285, Box 9, Folder 7, Negative Number:
Description: The discovery of a folder titled, "Unicorn," in collection at first brings excitement then disappointment as the unicorn in question was a unicorn fish, not the mythical unicorn.
Description: As the Lichtenstein Foundation closes, half a million documents are coming to the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art! [via NY Times]Bitcoin is entering the art market. [via Mutual Art]Hyperspectral scanning reveals Picasso's process during his "blue period." [via The Star]What could possibly connect Abraham Lincoln to vampires? The Smithsonian's National Museum of American
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Dan Quayle, on the eve of becoming United States Vice President and Smithsonian's newest regent, addresses guests at the vice-presidential reception held the Flag Hall of the National Museum of American History, January 19, 1989, by Eric Long, Photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 98-015 Box 2
Description: Curator of Latino art, Dr. Taína Caragol, Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, aspires to: "My goal at the Portrait Gallery has been to make sure the contributions of Latinos to U.S. history are properly represented in the museum." #Groundbreaker
Description: The creation and design of the Smithsonian Institution Building, commonly known as the “Castle”, is no mystery; however, the stories of some of the early individuals involved in the formation of the Smithsonian’s collection are less commonly known. We need to ask who collected the specimens and produced research on the objects that visitors now see when they enter Smithsonian