Description: First hired by the Smithsonian in 1871, topographical illustrator William Henry Holmes was well known for paintings that were described as "orgies of pure color." His knowledge of geology, archaeology, anthropology, and ethnology made him a master in the scientific documentation of landscapes. His achievements included important publications on Native American cultures in
Description: Joseph Henry,the first Smithsonian Secretary, served from 1846 to 1878 and was a physicist who conducted pioneering research in electromagnetism.
Description: Though a large part of our collections are flat—that is, they are unbound materials as opposed to bound, three-dimensional objects—a significant group of our holdings do live in bindings and book structures (some of my previous blog contributions have dealt with books, but none with as great a degree of intervention). Treating a field book became more complicated—and more
Description: Utilizing best practices for storage enclosures reduces handling and stabilizes deteriorated materials for long-term preservation and access. While the Archives most commonly uses manufactured standard enclosures, custom enclosures can also be created to facilitate safe handling.Standard EnclosuresThe most common enclosures used at the Archives are. Unbound paper-based
Description: Link Love: a weekly post with links to interesting videos and stories about archival issues, technology and culture, and Washington D.C. and American history.