Description: As a teenager, Robert Ridgway was tapped by the Smithsonian’s Assistant Secretary to be an expedition zoologist. In 1881, when the US National Museum opened its doors, he was the curator of Birds. Download and reuse some of bird illustrations today through Smithsonian Open Access.
Description: Grab your popcorn! To mark the Smithsonian’s 175th anniversary this year, the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives will host monthly virtual programs featuring films from the collections of the Smithsonian Institution Archives. Register today.
Description: A highlight of a series of creative writings inspired by photographs from the Smithsonian Flickr Commons and published at the online journal, Dr. Hurley’s Snake-Oil Cure.
Description: This post is an update to Lynda Schmitz Fuhrig's post “Archiving the Smithsonian’s Presence on the Internet” from September 2, 2010. The Smithsonian Institution has had a presence on the Internet for more than sixteen years. It’s come a long way since then. Documenting the Smithsonian’s various websites falls under the purview of the Smithsonian Institution Archives...but how
Description: Dorothy Rosenberg served as an administrative officer to two Smithsonian Assistant Secretaries, 1959–73, before becoming Executive Assistant to Secretary S. Dillon Ripley, 1973–80. In 1979, she earned the Secretary's Gold Medal for Exceptional Service. Following retirement, Rosenberg was a part-time consultant to Secretary Ripley and Secretary Adams and prepared an extensive
Description: [edan-image:id=siris_sic_12022,size=250,left]Volunteers have been an integral part of the Smithsonian since its earliest years. The Institution has always been “dependent on the kindness of strangers.” Volunteers make tremendous contributions to Smithsonian operations every day in virtually every corner of the globe. The Smithsonian's paid staff of some 6,000 employees is
Description: Each week, the Archives features a woman who has been a groundbreaker at the Smithsonian, past or present, in a series titled Wonderful Women Wednesday.
Description: Lucy Hunter Baird did not shy away from her father’s towering legacy in American science, she embraced it. As the only child of Spencer Fullerton Baird, second Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Lucy Baird developed a passion for her father’s discipline of ornithology (the study of birds) and strove to chronicle his extraordinary life in a biography. Although she was
Description: Headed to DC soon? Leave your thoughts at the National Museum of American History’s TalkBack Board, and then whether you’re in the capital or elsewhere, tune into the NMAH’s Twitter feed for #TalkBackTuesdays, where they’ll feature the best questions and comments from the board. The Museum of Photographic Arts has just joined Flickr Commons, and their photos include some