Image Gallery - Modernization, 1950-1975
First Ladies Gowns Hall, 1955 by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 42, Folder: 17, 43539-F or MAH-43539F: Margaret Brown Klapthor, the new curator of the First Ladies Gowns Collection, took the mannequins out of the mahogany cases and placed them in period rooms, furnished as the White House would have been when the First Ladies lived there. The new exhibit opened in the West North Range on May 24, 1955, with President Dwight D. and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower attending. Mrs. Eisenhower had recently donated her gown to the collection.
Naval-Marine Corps Exhibit, 1952, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 43, Folder: 12, 42101.: The Naval-Marine Corps Hall traced the evolution of United States naval power from the first commissioned vessel of 1775 to the atomic submarine. A case prepared in 1952 on the destruction of the battleship Maine is seen on view in this image.
Hall of Health, 1957, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 42, Folder: 24, 2002-10651.: The Hall of Health used innovative techniques to teach the public about health and medicine. A transparent woman display used light and sound to teach about human anatomy. The hall opened November 2, 1957.
Hall of Monetary History, 1961, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 43, Folder: 8, SIA2011-1446.: The Hall of Monetary History and Medallic Art opened on March 18, 1961, and displayed a complete world museum of the history of money, from ancient Greece to the present. The exhibit was designed to teach the history and geography of the world in relation to money, rather than to simply display a large collection of coins and medals.
Textiles & Fiber Exhibit, 1960 by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 285, Box 17, Folder: 13, XXXXX: The new Textile Machinery and Fiber Exhibit took the looms out of the old cases and placed them in well-lit displays with modern graphics. The Textile Hall was completed on December 9, 1960, with a display on the history of lacemaking, rug making and American needlework.
Hall of Power Machinery, 1957, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 43, Folder: 20, 44518-D or MAH-44518D.: The Hall of Power Machinery opened on March 27, 1957, as part of the Exhibits Modernization Program. Working engines and patent models of steam and internal combustion engines were displayed to teach the history of technological and industrial development to the museum visitor.
Iron and Steel in America exhibit, 1950s, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 285, Box 16, Folder: 8, 44170 and MAH-44170.: The Iron and Steel in America exhibit used modern case design and graphics to tell the story of industrial processes. Crowded cases were replaced with open floor displays, lighted cases, and far fewer objects.
Lunar Sample on Exhibit, 1970, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 398, Box 56, Folder: 18, OPA-1564-28 or opa-1564.28.: This image shows a crowd of visitors looking at the lunar sample on exhibit in the rotunda of the Arts and Industries Building. Soon after this image was taken, the sample moved to the National Air and Space Museum.
Satellite Exhibit, 1965, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 371, Box 1, Folder: August 1965, 65835-I or P65835.I.: Full-sized model of the Mariner IV Satellite was exhibited in the rotunda of the Arts and Industries Building in front of the Statue of Freedom. The satellite model was part of the National Air Museum exhibit when it was housed in the Arts and Industries Building.
Rocket Row outside A&I Building, c. 1960s, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 32, Folder: 6, 2002-12168.: In 1946, the small collection of airplanes in the A&I Building and in the aircraft building in the South Yard received status as a separate museum with the establishment of the National Air Museum. The Air Museum was the lifelong passion of curator Paul E. Garber. As the United States entered the space race, “Rocket Row” became a landmark along the west side of the A&I Building
National Portrait Gallery, 1965, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 361, Box 1, Folder: 8, SIA2011-1459 or 066343-A.: A National Portrait Gallery was legislated by the United States Congress in 1962, and its first exhibit was held in 1965 in the A&I Building with 65 portraits by 52 artists. Once again, when its new home, the former Patent Office Building, opened in 1968, another collection left the A&I Building for a new museum.
America Votes Exhibit, 1960, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 43 ,Folder: 19, 94-13363.: The America Votes exhibit opened in the West Hall of the Arts and Industries Building in June of 1960. The exhibit featured an outstanding collection of campaign banners, tokens, lanterns and other paraphernalia relating to national political campaigns presented by Ralph C. Becker, and political caricatures and cartoons from the Harry T. Peters collection of American lithography.
Photography and the City Exhibit, 1968: Photography and the City: The Evolution of an Art and a Science, a special exhibition, opened on June 5, 1968. Prepared by the noted designer Charles Eames, it used innovative display techniques to document the development of the camera and its effects on society, especially urban life. This exhibit was part of the special exhibition program for the A&I Building after the history collections were moved to the new History and Technology Building.
Drugs Exhibit, 1972, by Richard K. Hofmeister, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 371, Box 1, Folder: Summer 1972, 72-5085-15A or SIA72-5085-15A.: Part of the Arts and Industries Building was reserved for temporary exhibits. The new Secretary, S. Dillon Ripley, was interested in innovative approaches to museums, and he oversaw the installation of a series of temporary exhibits on themes of current interest. The exhibit shown in this image focused on drugs in modern society and used innovative exhibit techniques, such as talking heads.
Ripley on Carousel, 1977, by Unknown, photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 97-003, 77-4394-24A or SIA77-4394-24A.: In the 1960s, Secretary S. Dillon Ripley enlivened the National Mall with academic processions and a Carousel in front of the A&I Building. Ripley remembered fondly his childhood rides on a carousel outside the Louvre in the Tuilleries, in France, and wanted to give young visitors an opportunity for fun as well as education.