Description: Did you know that the Smithsonian Institution has been collecting “specimens” related to the history of photography since photography was still considered a new technology? Learn about the evolution of our photography collection!
Description: As a laborer at the Smithsonian from 1882 until his death in 1918, Harrison Lomax served the Institution’s top leaders. A letter in our collections that he wrote to Secretary Samuel P. Langley is an example of the ways in which African American employees advocated for themselves in order to earn promotions and raises.
Description: A twentieth century Renaissance man, Louis R. Purnell lived a remarkable life. His career began in the skies above Italy and Germany, where he flew 88 combat missions as an original member of the Tuskegee Airmen. After the war, while working at the National Museum of Natural History, he traveled the world’s oceans collecting marine specimens, taught himself geology and
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Installation View of Smithsonian Photography Exhibition Art Section, by Thomas Smillie, c.