American Stories

Permanent
2nd Floor, East Wing

This comprehensive and chronological exhibition covers the full sweep of American history. The exhibition introduces and examines themes widely recognized to be of defining importance for America, including freedom, democracy, opportunity, and enterprise. Highlights include:

• Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz

Snowboarding

TBA
Artifact Walls near the Constitution Ave. Entrance

Snowboarding first appeared in the 1960s through the efforts of a few American surfing, skateboarding, and skiing enthusiasts. This History Highlight case examines the history of snowboarding and features the Snurfer, one of the earliest snowboard prototypes; a Backhill snowboard made by Burton; and objects from recent Olympians Shaun White and Hannah Teter.

You Must Remember This

Summer 2012 (TBA)
Artifact Walls near the Constitution Ave. Entrance

Coinciding with the grand opening of the museum's new Warner Bros. Theater, this display case features 20 feet of Hollywood memorabilia, including costumes worn by Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Clint Eastwood, along with Harry Potter’s robe. Also on view are such historical objects from Warner Bros. Studio as Jack Warner’s silver telephone and Bugs Bunny animation drawings.

(photo: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone © 2001 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R.)

Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty

TBA
African American History and Culture Gallery, 2nd Floor, East Wing (American History Museum)

This exhibition explores slavery and enslaved people in America through the lens of Jefferson’s Monticello plantation. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence and called slavery an “abominable crime,” yet he was a lifelong slaveholder. In an age inspired by the Declaration of Independence, slavery was pervasive -- 28% of the American population was enslaved in 1790. The exhibition provides a glimpse into the lives of six slave families living at Monticello and reveals how the paradox of slavery in Jefferson’s world is relevant for generations beyond Jefferson’s lifetime.

Museum objects, works of art, documents, and artifacts found through archaeological excavations at Monticello provide a look at enslaved people as individuals -- with names, deep family and marital connections, values, achievements, religious faith, a thirst for literacy and education, and tenacity in the pursuit of freedom. The family stories are brought to the present via Monticello’s Getting Word oral history project, which interviewed 170 descendants of those who lived in slavery on Jefferson’s plantation.

This exhibition is organized by the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

 (image: Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale, 1805)

The First Ladies

Indefinitely
Rose Gallery, 3rd Floor, Center, enter from American Presidency

Learn how first ladies have shaped the role of first lady as the role of women in society evolved. On view are more than two dozen gowns, including those worn by Michelle Obama, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, and Jacqueline Kennedy. Four cases provide in-depth looks at Dolley Madison, Mary Lincoln, Edith Roosevelt, and Lady Bird Johnson and their contributions to their husband’s presidential administrations.

Gift of the Artist: Photographers as Donors

Now - February 29, 2012
1st Floor, West Wing (outside the Archives Center)

The Archives Center features items from the museum's archival collection that document America's history and its diverse cultures. 

This rotation features works by 15 contemporary documentary photographers who have donated their own works to the Archive Center. Selected by curator David Haberstich, the images reveal the diversity of themes, subjects, styles, and techniques found in the Archives Center's photographic collection.

Jefferson's Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth

Now - May 28, 2012
Albert Small Documents Gallery, 2nd Floor, East Wing

In 1820, Thomas Jefferson assembled a private text using excerpts from the Four Gospels of the New Testament in Greek, Latin, French, and English. His aim was to tell a chronological version of Jesus’ life, distilling his moral teachings and excluding those aspects which appeared to him “contrary to reason.” On view is Jefferson’s "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth," which was recently conserved, together with two English editions of the New Testament that Jefferson used to clip passages and a copy of the 1904 U.S. Government Printing Office edition of the book. Visitors can explore each page of the bible at a special web kiosk and view short videos about the bible’s history and conservation.

Related book: The Jefferson Bible, Smithsonian Edition: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth by Thomas Jefferson, $35

AIDS Quilt Panel

February 2012 (TBA)
Artifact Walls near the Constitution Ave. Entrance

On view is a panel from the Names Project Foundation's AIDS Memorial Quilt honoring Roger Lyon. Lyon died of complications from AIDS in 1984, shortly after testifying before Congress to appeal for funding to combat the growing epidemic.

Pictures for Everyone

TBA
2nd Floor, West Wing

Nineteenth-century Americans were keen observers of the world around them, and they eagerly sought to acquire all types of pictures. The introduction of photography and improvements in graphic production made printed images much more available for use in family albums, illustrated magazines and newspapers, and as posters for advertising. This exhibition features images (most are reproductions due to light restrictions) that explore how 19th-century audiences received and shared visual information that crossed many barriers, including those of race, class, and language. The display also features related items, including a sheet music printing plate, an illustrated newspaper, and a Kodak camera.

Jazz Treasures

TBA
Artifact Walls near Mall Entrance

To celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month in April, this case features Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet, Herbie Hancock's keyboard, Mongo Santamaría's conga drum, and Tony Bennet's oil painting of Ella Fitzgerald.

Sweet & Sour

TBA
Artifact Walls near the Constitution Ave. Entrance

This display case traces the evolution of Chinese food in the U.S. and provides a glimpse into the long history of Chinese immigration. If features images of the first Chinese laborers sharing ethnic meals while working in the mines and modern-day tourists dining at Chinese restaurants in Washington, D.C. 

COBOL

TBA
Artifact Walls near the Constitution Ave. Entrance

COBOL, or Common Business Orientated Language, was one of the first computer-programming languages to run successfully on different brands of computers; it was devised 50 years ago by a committee of programmers to combat the problem of each manufacturer using a different computer language. This display case features parts of two of the first computers -- built by different manufacturers -- to run COBOL, the actual printout from the first successful test of the language, and related documents.

Two Key Smithsonian Figures: Leonard Carmichael and Frank Taylor

TBA
Artifact Walls near the Mall Entrance

Images and objects in this case reveal the role of two Smithsonian leaders who championed the creation of the National Museum of American History (originally known as the Museum of History and Technology): Leonard Carmichael (1898–1973), Smithsonian Secretary between 1953 and 1964, and Frank Taylor (1903–2007),  the Museum of History and Technology’s founding director from 1958 to 1968.

Portrait of Stephen Colbert

August 2011 (TBA)
3rd Floor, West Wing

The portrait of Stephen Colbert (b. 1964, Washington, D.C.), the mock pundit from the Comedy Central show The Colbert Report, is back on view. A series of segments on The Colbert Report in 2008 depicted the comedian's quest to have his portrait accepted by one of the Smithsonian's museums. It was previously on view at the National Portrait Gallery and at the National Museum of American History.

The Mexican Revolution! American Legacy

TBA
Artifact Walls near the Constitution Ave. Entrance

Images, photographs, a timeline, and objects in this case reveal the role of the U.S. in the Mexican Revolution; the war's impact on the American political, social, and cultural landscape; and how the war precipitated a large migration of Mexicans to the United States.

Toys from the Attic

Late January 2012 (TBA)
Artifact Walls near the Constitution Ave. Entrance

Toys reflect changes in both technology and society. This case examines toys produced in 19th-century America, when childhood began to be seen as a distinct stage of life with its own unique needs. Featured are dolls, kitchen and housewares, hand tools, educational games, and other toys intended to entertain, educate, and prepare children for adult work. The case also explores early toy marketing.

Fifty Years of Lasers

TBA
Artifact Walls near the Constitution Ave. Entrance

During 1960, scientists in the U.S. invented three different types of lasers. Since then many other lasers have been developed and adopted for a range of uses. This case features objects from the inventors on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of this important invention. Also displayed are objects representing both practical and entertaining uses of lasers, including a laser disc player.

Invention Case: Hot Spot of Invention

early 2012 (TBA; tentative)
1st Floor, West Wing

Invention happens everywhere, but sometimes a "hot spot of invention" takes shape when the right mix of creative people, resources, and inspiring surroundings come together. In the 1930s, a hot spot began to form among the industrial labs and universities of New England. As World War II neared, this hot spot matured at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This case highlights how three  labs at MIT helped transform Cambridge, Massachusetts, into a dynamic place of invention during this period in history.

Note: This Invention Case features rotating displays complementing the Lemelson Hall of Invention exhibit nearby on the first floor and its case on the third floor.

 

Stories on Money

Indefinitely
1st Floor, East Wing

Through objects from the museum's National Numismatic Collection, this exhibition explores the development and meaning behind American coinage and currency and demonstrates the interplay among people, money, and history from the earliest times to the present.

• America's Money shows what money looked like in colonial America and at pivotal times in the nation's history, including the gold rush, the Great Depression, and the current era. It also compares coins from the 19th century with those produced during the renaissance of American coinage in the early 20th century.
• The Power of Liberty features an array of coins from the U.S. and around the world depicting Liberty, the feminine personification of freedom, as well as coins featuring real and mythological women.

Interactive stations allow visitors to view enlarged images and learn more about numismatic history.

On the Water: Stories from Maritime America

Permanent
American Maritime Enterprise, 1st Floor, East Wing

Marine transportation and waterborne commerce underlie American history like a strong and steady ocean current. Maritime trade established major cities, created connections between people and places, and opened the continent. This exhibition traces American maritime history from 18th-century sailing ships, to 19th-century steamboats and fishing craft, to today's huge container ships. Items featured include rigged ship models, patent models, documents, and images from the Smithsonian's National Watercraft Collection. American maritime history is brought to life through the stories of whaling crews, fishermen, shipbuilders, merchant mariners, passengers, and many others who work on the nation's waterways.

Audio and video components
Interactive stations

The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem

Permanent
2nd Floor, Center

The nation's flag, which underwent an 8-year conservation period from 1998 to 2006, is today the centerpiece of the museum. Soaring above the entrance to the gallery is an architectural representation of a waving flag -- approximately 40 feet long and up to 19 feet high and composed of 960 reflective tiles made of polycarbonate material.

An introductory section in the entry corridor sets the scene for the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. Around the corner, the 30-by-34-foot wool-and-cotton flag is on view in a new dramatic display behind a 35-foot-long, floor-to-ceiling glass wall in a climate-controlled gallery that re-creates the dawn's early light, similar to Francis Scott Key's experience the morning of September 14, 1814, when he saw the flag flying over Ft. McHenry in Baltimore Harbor, inspiring him to pen the famous lyrics. The first stanza of the national anthem is projected prominently on the wall above the flag. Sections in the exit corridor trace the flag's history, including its safekeeping by Major George Armistead and his descendants, the Smithsonian's efforts to preserve it for more than 100 years, and how both the flag and the national anthem have come to represent diverse ideas of patriotism and national identity.

Also at the exit are an interactive table with a virtual, life-size image of the flag and a tactile panel with an outline of the flag and a full-size star for visitors who are visually impaired.

No photography permitted

Related publications:
- The Star-Spangled Banner: The Making of an American Icon: $29.95 (cloth)
- Book of 33 postcards:$7.95

Artifact Walls: Mall Entrance Corridor

Permanent
Madison Dr. Entrance Corridor

On view in floor-to-ceiling, glass-fronted walls on both sides of the Mall entrance are objects highlighting the depth and breadth of the museum's permanent collection and our nation's rich and diverse history. The objects are organized around the following themes:

• Arts
• Popular Culture
• Business, Work, and the Economy
• Home and Family
• Community
• Land and Natural Resources
• Peopling America
• Politics and Reform
• Science
• Medicine
• Technology
• America's Role in the World

National Treasures of Popular Culture

Permanent
3rd Floor, West Wing

This exhibition displays iconic and well-loved artifacts that mirror the ways music, sports, and entertainment have played major roles in American life, shaping our national memory and often defining what is American to the nation and to the world. Note: From time to time, objects are rotated and may be removed unexpectedly after visitation hours.  

Highlights include:

• Dorothy's ruby slippers (on view nearby in 1939)
• Archie and Edith Bunker's chairs
• Julie Newmar's Catwoman costume from the television series Batman
• Simba mask from the Tony Award-winning musical The Lion King
• cartoon animation cells by Charles Schultz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip
• Olympic objects, including Anastasia "Nastia" Luikin's pink gymnastics leotard worn during the 2008 Beijing games, Brian Boitano's ice skates worn during the 1988 Calgary games, a relay torch from the 1984 LA opening ceremonies, and Apolo Ohno's speed skates worn during the 2002 Salt Lake City games
• Michael Jackson's hat
• Muppet characters -- joining the original Kermit the Frog -- from Jim Henson's early television show Sam and Friends, which debuted on local Washington, D.C., station  WRC-TV in 1955
• Eddie Van Halen's guitar, Farrah Fawcett's swimsuit, and Tony Hawk's skateboard

Lemelson Center Case: Jerome Lemelson: Toying with Invention

early 2012 (TBA; tentative)
3rd Floor, West Wing

On view in this case are notebooks with sketches of toy ideas and examples of some of the toys Jerome Lemelson invented. Lemelson earned more than 600 patents; some 70 of them describe toys -- inflatable toys, jumping toys, toys with propellers, toys that run on tracks, target games, dolls, and more. In fact, Lemelson's first patent, issued in 1953, was for a new kind of propeller beanie.

Note: This changing exhibition case complements the Lemelson Hall of Invention on the first floor. 

Artifact Walls: Constitution Ave. Entrance Corridor

Permanent
Constitution Ave. Entrance Corridor

On view in floor-to-ceiling, glass-fronted walls on both sides of the Constitution Avenue entrance are objects highlighting the depth and breadth of the museum's permanent collection and our nation's rich and diverse history. The objects, which are occasionally  rotated, are organized around the following themes, along with special themed cases:

• Arts
• Popular Culture
• Business, Work, and the Economy
• Home and Family
• Community
• Land and Natural Resources
• Peopling America
• Politics and Reform (temporarily off view February-summer 2012)
• Science (temporarily off view February-summer 2012) 
• Medicine
• Technology
• America's Role in the World

The Price of Freedom: Americans at War

Permanent
Armed Forces History Hall, 3rd Floor, East Wing

This exhibition surveys the history of America's military from the Colonial Era to the present conflict in Iraq, exploring how wars have been defining episodes in American history. Through more than 800 artifacts, images, and interactive stations, the exhibition reveals how Americans have fought to establish the nation's independence, determine its borders, shape its values of freedom and opportunity, and define its role in world affairs. It also explores the social impact of America's wars, presenting the link between military conflict and American political leadership, social values, technological innovation, and personal sacrifice.

The exhibition is arranged chronologically into the following 10 sections:

• Introduction, including the French and Indian War
• Revolutionary War, featuring George Washington's uniform and commission from Congress as commander in chief of the Continental Army.
• Wars of Expansion -- including the Indian Wars, the Mexican War, and the Spanish-American War -- featuring the buckskin coat worn by George Custer while he was stationed at frontier Army posts in the West during the Western Indian War.
• Civil War, featuring the chairs Civil War generals Lee and Grant used during the surrender ceremony at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.
• World War I, featuring a doughboy uniform, gas mask, and carrier pigeon Cher Ami.
• World War II, featuring a Willys Jeep used for transporting troops and supplies.
• Cold War and Korean War
• Vietnam War, featuring restored UH-1H Huey Helicopter.
• Recent conflicts -- including the 1991 Gulf War and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- featuring Colin Powell's uniform from Operation Desert Storm.
• Medal of Honor, featuring videos in which recipients recount their experiences.

Free brochure
Catalogue: $17 (paper)

Satellite Museum Store

Taking America to Lunch

Permanent
Lower Level, near entrance to Stars and Stripes Cafe, south wall

On view are more than 50 children's and workers' illustrated metal lunch boxes and beverage containers dating from the 1890s through the 1980s to celebrate the history and endurance of American lunch boxes. After reaching the height of their popularity at the dawn of the television era, lunch box sales became barometers for what was current in popular culture.

America on the Move

Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing, Transportation Hall

This major exhibition examines how transportation -- from 1876 to 1999 -- has shaped our American identity from a mostly rural nation into a major economic power, forged a sense of national unity, delivered consumer abundance, and encouraged a degree of social and economic mobility unlike that of any other nation of the world.

Arranged chronologically and through 19 sections, historical moments explored include the coming of the railroad to a California town in 1876, the role of the streetcar and the automobile in creating suburbs outside of cities, and the transformation of a U.S. port with the introduction of containerized shipping in the 1960s.

Among the 300 objects on view, highlights include:

• Electrifying Cars (October 27, 2011-January 2012) explores the history of the electric car from the early 20th century to the present and showcases two cars—a 1904 Columbia electric runabout, the best-selling car in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, and a 1913 Ford Model T touring car, a gasoline car equipped with an early type of electric starter and electric headlights.
• "Jupiter," a steam-powered locomotive built in 1876 for the Santa Cruz Railroad
• 260-ton "1401" locomotive, which pulled President Franklin Roosevelt's funeral train on part of its journey to Washington, D.C.
• 1903 Winton was the first car driven across the U.S. -- by H. Nelson Jackson and Sewall Crocker, with Bud the Dog as a passenger
• 1926 Ford Model T Roadster; the Ford Motor Company ceased production of the Model T in 1927
• 1942 Harley-Davidson motorcycle
• Chicago Transit Authority "L" mass transit car built in 1959
• a piece of U.S. Route 66, the "People's Highway," that connects Chicago to Los Angeles

Hands-on stations
Videos
Free brochure: America on the Move TripTik
Bilingual (English/Spanish) Family Guide
Companion book: $35 (cloth) 

Within These Walls...

Permanent
2nd Floor, West Wing

This exhibition tells the history of the re-created, 2 1/2-story, Georgian-style house that stood at 16 Elm Street in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and five of the many families who occupied it from the mid-1760s through 1945. The exhibition explores some of the important ways ordinary people, in their daily lives, have been part of the great changes and events in American history. Walking around the exterior of the house, visitors can view -- through open walls, windows, and doorways -- settings played out against the backdrop of Colonial America, the American Revolution, the abolitionist movement, the industrial era, and World War II. Near the exit is a list of all the families who lived in the house through the 1960s.

Free brochure "House Detective: Finding History in Your Home"

The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden

Permanent
Views into the Collection Gallery, 3rd Floor, Center Corridor

This exhibition of more than 900 objects related to the 43 men who have held the nation's highest office explores the public, personal, ceremonial, and executive boundaries of the presidency. Composed of 11 thematic sections, the exhibition addresses such topics as inaugural celebrations, presidential roles, life at the White House, limits of presidential power, assassinations and mourning, the influence of the media, and life after the presidency.

Highlights include the lap desk Thomas Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln's life mask and top hat, Lewis and Clark compass, the horse-drawn carriage that carried Ulysses S. Grant in his second inaugural parade in 1873, a radio microphone used by Franklin D. Roosevelt to give his fireside chats during World War II, an early teddy bear (named after Theodore Roosevelt), and Bill Clinton's saxophone. To mark the centennial of Ronald Reagan's birth, two small cases featuring objects related to his campaign and inauguration were added on February 6, 2011.

Videos, including an introductory video welcoming visitors to the exhibition
Interactive Stations
Catalogue: $50 (cloth); $24.95 (paper)
Satellite Museum Store (new location west of exhibition entrance)

Communities in a Changing Nation: The Promise of 19th-Century America

early 2012 (TBA; tentative)
2nd Floor, West Wing

This permanent exhibition explores the excitement and dynamism of American life during the 19th century through the experiences of three communities: Industrial Era Bridgeport, Connecticut; Jewish Immigrant Community of Cincinnati, Ohio; and African Americans living in 19th-century Charleston, South Carolina. Major artifacts include a model of an Eli Whitney cotton gin and an Edison light bulb.

• Owners, Mechanics, and Operatives: The Promise of Industrialization looks at the new world of mills and factories through the eyes of owners and workers at the Wheeler and Wilson Manufacturing Co., a sewing-machine factory in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
• Jewish Immigrants: The Promise of a New Life considers the experiences of the 200,000 central Eastern European Jews who arrived in the United States between 1820 and 1880, focusing on Cincinnati, Ohio, an important city in the development of American Reform Judaism. Many Jewish immigrants to this area worked as peddlers, merchants, and manufacturers. This section features a fully outfitted late 19th-century peddler's cart.
• African Americans in Slavery and Freedom: Promise Deferred provides insights into the experience of urban and rural slavery and the limits placed on free blacks though the eyes of people who lived in low-country South Carolina in the 1800s. This section features re-creations of an 1840s slave cabin and of the Charleston Market.

Science in American Life

Most areas closed Nov. 6, 2011
1st Floor, West Wing

This exhibition examines the interaction between science and society from 1876 to the present. Through artifacts, historical photographs, computer interactives, and multimedia technology, the exhibition brings to life many of the scientific issues, controversies, and achievements that have shaped modern American culture.

Major topics addressed include the founding of a pioneering chemical laboratory in an American university, the use of experimental psychology and intelligence testing, science as a promoter and entertainer at the 1939 World's Fair, industrial science and the invention of nylon, the mobilization of science for World War II and atomic bomb research in the Manhattan Project, the growth of environmental awareness, and the new frontiers of biotechnology.

Highlights include:
• a re-creation of an 1876 chemical laboratory
• a family fallout shelter
• more than 1,000 scientific instruments

Robots on the Road: Stanley
Nov. 21, 2008 until Jan. 2012 (TBA)
This experimental robot car named "Stanley," a modified Volkswagen Touareg, offers a glimpse into the future of "smart" cars. It can drive itself without a human in the driver's seat or at remote controls; it sees the road ahead through roof-mounted laser sensors, video cameras, radar, and GPS resources and uses sophisticated computers to navigate the environment and avoid obstacles. "Stanley" was the winner of the 2005 Grand Challenge, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). (in the Looking Ahead Gallery)

HIV and AIDS Thirty Years Ago
June 3, 2011 until Jan. 2012 (TBA)
This showcase examines the public health, scientific, and political responses in the early phase (1981-87) of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic through photographs, magazine covers, and other graphics. Also on view is equipment Dr. Jay Levy used to isolate the virus in his lab at the University of California, San Francisco; a copy of the Surgeon General’s 1986 report presenting the government’s position; samples of the drugs AZT and Retrovir; and public health information pamphlets from AIDS service organizations. The website americanhistory.si.edu/hivaids.

Outdoor Sculptures: Gwenfritz and Infinity

Permanent
Near Madison Dr. entrance (Mall entrance) and on Northwest grounds

• Gwenfritz, a mammoth stabile by Alexander Calder, is on the northwest museum grounds (installed 1968).

• Infinity, a stainless-steel sculpture by Jose de Rivera, is at the Mall entrance (installed 1967).

Electricity: Lighting a Revolution

Permanent
Electricity Hall, 1st Floor, East Wing

This exhibition reveals -- through five interwoven stages -- how Thomas Edison's incandescent electric light bulb and other inventions began to transform our world and examines the similarities and differences between the process of invention in Edison's era and today.

Highlights include:
• several of Edison's early light bulbs

Celluloid: The First Plastic

TBA
Artifact Walls near the Constitution Ave. Entrance

This case examines celluloid, the world's first commercially successful plastic, which was invented by John Wesley Hyatt in 1869. Initially made to imitate natural materials, celluloid was mainly used to manufacture inexpensive yet stylish goods -- ranging from beauty accessories and housewares to postcards and advertising keepsakes -- proving that inexpensive but durable products could be made from plastic. Though celluloid was no longer a popular material by the 1940s, it remains the primary material for Ping-Pong balls.

Landmark Objects

Permanent
Main Corridors of each wing

Six large, iconic artifacts in the main corridor of each wing highlight the key themes of the exhibitions in that wing:

• The John Bull Locomotive identifies the transportation and technology wing of the museum (1st Floor, East Wing Corridor).
On view is the steam locomotive John Bull and a section of the first iron railroad bridge in America.The John Bull was built in 1831 and ran for 35 years, pulling trains of passengers and cargo between the two largest cities of the time, Philadelphia and New York. The locomotive propelled trains at 25 to 30 miles per hour. The John Bull, which was ordered from England by Robert Stevens for his railroad company, was named after the mythical gentleman who symbolized England. It was assembled by Isaac Dripps, a young steamboat mechanic who had never seen a locomotive before.

• The Vassar Telescope identifies thescience and innovation wing of the museum (1st Floor, West Wing Corridor).
On view is the telescope used by Maria Mitchell (1818-1889), the first professional woman astronomer in the United States. She gained recognition in scientific circles through establishing the orbit of a new comet in 1847. The following year, she became the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and from 1865 to 1888 she served as professor of astronomy at Vassar Female College. In 1963, the president of Vassar donated
Mitchell's astronomical telescope, built by Henry Fitz, to the Smithsonian.

• The Greensboro Lunch Counter  identifies the American ideals wing of the museum (2nd Floor, East Wing Corridor).
This section of the Woolworth's lunch counter with 4 stools from Greensboro, North Carolina, represents the February 1, 1960 sit-in that challenged segregated eating places. On February 1, 1960, four African American students -- Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel  Khazan), Franklin E. McCain, Joseph A. McNeil, and David L. Richmond -- sat down at this counter and politely asked for service. Their request was refused. When asked to leave, they remained in their seats. They were all enrolled at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College. Their "passive sit-down demand" began one of the first sustained sit-ins and ignited a youth-led movement to challenge injustice and racial inequality throughout the South. See February 2010 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 28-29.

• The George Washington Sculpture identifies the American lives wing of the museum (2nd Floor, West Wing Corridor).
On view is the marble statue of George Washington commissioned by Congress in 1832 to commemorate the centennial of our first president's birth. The artist, Horatio Greenough, modeled his figure of Washington on a classical Greek statue of Zeus, but the semi-clothed statue attracted controversy and criticism as soon as it arrived in the city in 1841. In 1908, Congress transferred the statue to the Smithsonian, where it went on view in the Castle.
Then in 1964, it was moved to the museum for its opening.

• Civil War Draft Wheel (installed July 14, 2011) identifies the American wars and politics wing of the museum (3rd Floor, East Wing Corridor). This Civil War draft wheel demonstrates the beginning of conscription (military draft) in the United States; it functioned as part of a procedure to select men for military service. The names of men eligible for the draft were written on slips of paper and dropped into holes inside the wheel. An official pulled out names to fill the ranks of the Union army. (Replaces Clara Barton's Red Cross ambulance.)

• Disneyland's Dumbo the Flying Elephant identifies the entertainment, sports, and music wing of the museum (3rd Floor, West Wing Corridor).
On view is one of the elephants from the Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride from the original Disneyland theme park in Los Angeles, California.

Musical Instruments Gallery

Permanent
3rd Floor, West Wing, North Gallery

The Musical Instruments Gallery presents samples of instruments and music relating to the history, performance styles and techniques of European and American music and the development of musical instruments dating from the 17th century. Some have been carefully restored to playing condition.

Included in the Hall are several instruments made by Antonio Stradivari, universally acknowledged to have been the greatest of all violin makers. The Servais Cello (1701) is considered to be one of the best preserved Stradivarius cellos. Also included is the Herbert R. Axelrod Quartet of Decorated Instruments, also made by Stradivari. Among only 11 rare decorated Stradivarius instruments that survive today, the Axelrod Quartet features the following: Violin, the Ole Bull (1687); Viola, the Axelrod (1695); and Violin, the Greffuhle (1709). While generally on display, these instruments also are used for performances of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society.

Notes:
• Because many of the musical instruments are used during special concerts, some instruments may be off view periodically.
• The south gallery remains under renovation.

American Enterprise

Permanent?
TBA

This exhibition explores a key area of the American experience — the history of business and innovation — and reveals how the United States developed from a loosely integrated set of colonies and frontier people to the most influential national economy in the world. It presents the benefits, failures, and unanticipated consequences of the nation’s business development.

The central theme of the exhibition is the American marketplace — the dynamic interplay of consumers and producers. Arranged chronologically from the 1750s to the 2010s and using examples from agriculture, manufacturing, consumer finance, and information technology, it examines how competition, innovation, and opportunity play an integral role in the nation’s business history.

Places of Invention

TBA
Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Hall of Invention, 1st Floor, West Wing

This exhibition features a selection of "hot spots" of invention and innovation -- places where a critical mass of inventive people, networks, institutions, funding, and other resources come together and creativity flourishes. Focusing on the mid-19th century to the present, each exhibition area has hands-on experiences based on inventive skill-building and illustrating the ways that place and social collaboration shape the inventive process.

Girl Scouts History Highlights Display Case

Permanent Exhibit

 Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Girl Scouts.