November 13, 2009 - February 15, 2010
Albert Small Documents Gallery, 2nd Floor, East Wing
This exhibition features ledger drawings, a style of visual history, developed by Native warriors from the Northern and Southern Plains in the late 19th century. These drawings serve as valuable, firsthand biographical documentation of the personal and cultural histories of a Native people and tell the stories of battles, bravery, and loss. They illustrate Native hunters and horsemen of the Plains and their rich ceremonial and cultural life, which was threatened by soldiers and settlers flooding into their traditional lands. The exhibit also gives examples of the influence of ledger drawings on contemporary Native art and history.
November 13, 2009 - Nov. 2010 (TBA) (new opening date)
3rd Floor, West Wing, near National Treasures of Popular Culture
This exhibition examines the art, industry, and history of holiday displays across the United States, primarily between the 1920s and the 1960s, at the height of their popularity. On view are photographs, postcards, and illustrations of parade floats and window displays -- featuring Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and Marshall Field and Company's Christmas windows -- as well as objects relating to the early creation of these displays.
November 6, 2009 - Summer 2011 (TBA)
1st Floor, West Wing
This case featuring rotating displays complements the Lemelson Hall of Invention exhibit nearby on the first floor and its case on the third floor.
• Hot Spots of Invention
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 war-era labs at MIT helped transform Cambridge into a dynamic place of invention.
See "Calendar One-Time Events" in InfoWeb: Nov. 6 and 7
September 9, 2009 - January 3, 2010
2nd Floor, West Wing, near First Ladies at the Smithsonian
Through photographs and audio excerpts from oral histories, this exhibition examines the experiences of bracero workers and their families while providing insight into Mexican American history and historical context to today's debates on guest worker programs. Begun in 1942 to fill labor shortages in agriculture and the railroads caused by World War II, the bracero program eventually became the largest guest worker program in U.S. history. Small farmers, large growers, and farm associations in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, and 23 other states hired Mexican braceros to provide manpower during peak harvest and cultivation times. By the time the program was canceled in 1964, an estimated 4.6 million contracts had been awarded. Bittersweet, the bracero experience tells a story of both exploitation and opportunity to earn money. The exhibition draws extensively from the museum's collection of photographs taken by photojournalist Leonard Nadel in 1956, as well as oral histories, documents, and objects collected by the Bracero Oral History Project.
August 3, 2009 - November 29, 2009
1st Floor, West Wing
In changing display cases, the Archives Center features items from the museum's archival collection that document America's history and its diverse cultures, ranging from correspondences, diaries, financial and legal documents, photographs, and sound recordings. The current case features:
• Addison Scurlock's Portrait Studies of Women
On view are 14 photographic portraits of young women taken by African American photographer Addison Scurlock (1883-1964) during the 1920s. Scurlock opened a photo studio in Washington, D.C., in 1911 that became one of the premiere African American studios in the country. The images on view depict an idealized view of feminine beauty and demonstrate Scurlock's mastery of the photographic process -- from lighting and focus to retouching of negatives to hand coloring of final prints.
Note/s:
• No photography permitted
• See related exhibition The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise.
June 11, 2009 - 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.
May 22, 2009 - New Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing, American Maritime Enterprise
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
January 30, 2009 - February 28, 2010
2nd Floor, East Wing
Nearly a century's worth of photographs from the Scurlock Studio, which operated from 1911-1994, form a vivid portrait of black Washington, D.C., in all its guises -- its challenges and its victories, its dignity and its determination. The exhibition features more than 100 images created by one of the premiere African American studios in the country and one of the longest-running black businesses in Washington. Highlights include cameras and equipment from the studio and period artifacts from Washington.
Beginning of the early 20th century and continuing into the early 1990s, Addison Scurlock (1883-1964), followed by his sons, Robert (1916-1994) and George (1919-2005), used their cameras to document and celebrate a community unique in the world. They captured weddings, baptisms, graduations, sporting events, civil protests, high-society affairs, and visiting dignitaries. It was for portraiture, however, that the Scurlocks became renowned; they continue to be recognized today by scholars and artists as among the very best of 20th-century photographers who recorded the rapid changes in African American urban communities nationwide.
January 16, 2009 - Jan. 2011 (TBA)
3rd Floor, Center, Rose Gallery, enter from American Presidency
To celebrate Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, this exhibition explores the life and legacy of our 16th president through objects from the museum's collection, augmented with personal stories told by him and the people who knew him best. It showcases more than 60 historical treasures associated with Lincoln's life -- from an iron wedge he used to split wood in the early 1830s in New Salem, Illinois, to his gold pocket watch and his iconic top hat he wore the night he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre.
Video (runs continuously)
January 7, 2009 - mid-Oct. 2009
1st Floor, West Wing
This case featuring rotating displays complements the Lemelson Hall of Invention exhibit nearby on the first floor and its case on the third floor.
• Sporting Invention
In this showcase, items from drawings and prototypes to final products, as well as little-known stories motivating the inventors, trace the development of sports inventions and highlight aspects of universal design in sports technology development. Objects include the skis and tennis rackets invented by Howard Head and an accessible snowboard for the disabled developed by student inventors at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. The inventors' sketches and models on view provide an appreciation for how inventors transform the way Americans play.
December 19, 2008 - New Permanent
2nd Floor, West Wing
This exhibition highlights the role of the first lady and features 14 First Ladies' gowns, as well as portraits, White House china, and personal possessions from the Smithsonian's collection. A section discussing the tradition of the First Ladies' inaugural gown answers some of the most frequently asked questions about the gown collection. The final section focuses on the contributions of the first ladies, the country's expectations of them, and the ways in which they have supported the most powerful office in the country.
Gowns on view include those worn by Helen Taft, Martha Washington, Dolley Madison, Sarah Polk, Mary Todd Lincoln, Lucy Hayes, Frances Cleveland, Florence Harding, Grace Coolidge, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy, Rosalyn Carter, and Laura Bush.
Video (runs continuously)
November 21, 2008 - New Permanent
2nd Floor, Center
After undergoing a lengthy conservation period, the nation's flag is 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
See November 2008 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 68-76
Related publications:
- The Star-Spangled Banner: The Making of an American Icon: $29.95 (cloth)
- Book of 33 postcards:$7.95
November 21, 2008 - TBA
1st Floor, West, Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Hall of Invention
What do the inventors behind Post-it Notes, robotic ants, Kevlar, and the telephone have in common with children? Play! Created especially for families, this exhibition focuses on the similarities between the ways children and adults play and the creative skills and processes used by inventors. Through interactive and engaging activities, it encourages various playful habits of mind that underlie invention: curiosity, imagination, visual thinking, model building, and problem solving. It introduces inventors and innovators through compelling personal stories, photos, and artifacts. It even provides a chance to try learning to windsurf on the Sailboard Simulator, which is based on a design by sailboard inventor Newman Darby. This is the first exhibition in the new Lemelson Hall of Invention.
November 21, 2008 - New 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
See November 2008 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 27-30
November 21, 2008 - New Permanent (new title)
3rd Floor, West Wing
This exhibition displays iconic and well-loved artifacts -- Dorothy's ruby slippers, Muhammad Ali's and Joe Louis's boxing gloves, a Harlem Globetrotters jersey, a boom box owned by hip-hop pioneer Fab 5 Freddy, Minnie Pearl's hat, Warner Brothers cartoon animation cells, Jim Henson's Kermit the Frog, Archie Bunker's chair, and a costume worn by Tejana singer Selena -- 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.
November 21, 2008 - TBA
3rd Floor, West Wing
This new changing exhibition case complements the Lemelson Hall of Invention on the first floor.
• Jerome Lemelson: Toying with Invention
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.
November 21, 2008 - April 10, 2010 (new closing date)
1st Floor, West Wing, SI Libraries Gallery
Through 40 rare books from the Smithsonian Institution's libraries, as well as objects from the museum's Graphic Arts Division, this exhibition explores the power of pictures and book illustrations by answering the following questions:
-- Why are pictures so powerful? Pictures influence, inform, and inspire us in many ways. They attract us, offering a feast for the eye as well as food for the mind. They explain complicated ideas at a glance and even teach those who cannot read.
-- Why do books include pictures? Pictures reach audiences more directly than text alone. They add beauty, color, and life to the printed page. They communicate the author's tone and approach to the subject, and enhance our understanding and enjoyment of the text. They engage us, prompt our imagination, and appeal to readers and non-readers alike.
November 21, 2008 - New 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 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
On view in floor-to-ceiling, glass-fronted walls flanking the grand staircase near the Constitution Avenue entrance are five cases dedicated to the following themes:
• Cameras Before Digital
October 28, 2009-TBA
This case features 22 cameras from the museum's collection -- from daguerreotype and view cameras to 20th-century military, aerial, digital, and promotional models -- to reveal the technological progress made from the camera's invention in 1839 to the advent of digital photography.
See "Calendar One-Time Events" in InfoWeb: Nov. 8
• Creating Hawai'i
August 21, 2009-August 2010
Objects from the museum's collection highlight Hawaii's unique culture and the extensive changes in tradition and diversity throughout its history -- from kingdom to republic, and from territory to state. Celebrates the 50th anniversary of Hawaii becoming the 50th state (1959).
• Mobilizing Young American Minds, 1950-1970 examines the changes in math and science education during the Cold War, especially following the 1957 launch of the USSR's Sputnik satellite.
• Producing for the American Table highlights how Mexican American food production has shaped the United States economy and culture.
See November 2008 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 27-30
- Permanent
3rd Floor, East Wing, Armed Forces History Hall
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.
- Permanent (Reopened July 15, 2009)
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.
See September 2004 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 43-44
- 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.
- Permanent
1st floor, West Wing
Ms. Child's 14-foot x 20-foot kitchen -- custom-made by her husband -- has been reassembled here exactly as it was in her Cambridge, Massachusetts home. The kitchen, which Child (1912-2004) used as the set of three television shows and as the testing ground for many recipes featured in her cookbooks, is composed of more that 1,200 individual pieces, including everything from her stainless-steel kitchen sink, to her six-burner Garland commercial range, to her personal cookbooks. The kitchen represents Julia Child's extraordinary influence on the way Americans think about their food and its history. When Child moved back to her home state of California in 2001, she donated her kitchen to the museum. The museum staff packed and catalogued the entire kitchen, then reassembled it in the museum exactly as it was in Child's home.
- 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 5 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.
- Permanent
3rd Floor, Center Corridor, Views into the Collection Gallery
More than 900 objects related to the 43 men who have held the nation's highest office are used to explore 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.
- Permanent
2nd Floor, West Wing
This permanent exhibition explores the excitement and dynamism of American life during the 19th century through the experiences of 3 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.
- Permanent
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.
- Permanent
3rd Floor, West Wing (south of original location)
Note: Temporarily off view for improvements to the display beginning Wednesday, September 30; scheduled to reopen Monday, November 23, 2009.
This miniature dollhouse represents a romantic view of the life of a large and affluent American family in the early 1900s. Its 23 rooms contain more than 800 items, including furniture, linens, toys, and other household items. The late Faith Bradford, a records expert at the Library of Congress, spent more than a half century designing and building the miniature furnishings; it was donated to the museum in 1951. Also on view is Ms. Bradford's scrapbook, which shows her methods of creating the house.
- Permanent
3rd Floor, West Wing, North Gallery
Note: Because many of the musical instruments are used during special concerts, some instruments may be off view periodically.
On view are dozens of string instruments -- many carefully restored to playing condition -- and other artifacts relating to the history, performance styles, and techniques of European and American music and the development of musical instruments.
Highlights include:
• the Servais cello (1701), made by Antonio Stradivarius
• the Herbert R. Axelrod Quartet of Decorated Instruments, made by Stradivarius, featuring: violin, the Ole Bull (1687); violincello, the Marylebone (1688); viola, the Axelrod (1695); and violin, the Greffuhle (1709)
- Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing, Electricity Hall
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
- Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing
By the late 19th century, America's Industrial Revolution had a full head of steam. This hall follows the development of the increasingly efficient power machinery that helped the United States become a world leader in industrial production during this time. Full-size engines and models illustrate attempts to harness atmospheric force (1660-1700), the early age of steam power (1700-1770), the development of high-pressure and high-speed engines (1800-1920). The exhibition also shows the evolution of steam boilers and the steam turbine and progress in the techniques of harnessing water power. A number of pumps, waterwheels, and historic internal combustion engines are also on view.
- Permanent
3rd Floor, East Wing
Note: Temporarily off view for refurbishment beginning Tuesday, October 13; scheduled to reopen Friday, November 20, 2009.
Built in 1776, the gunboat Philadelphia is the oldest American fighting vessel in existence. She sank on October 11, 1776, in Lake Champlain during the battle of Valcour Island, when an American flotilla commanded by General Benedict Arnold was defeated by a British fleet. The gunboat Philadelphia was raised in 1935 and came to the museum in 1964, complete with the 24-pound ball that sent it to the bottom.
Explore our museum floor plans before you go so you can make the most of your time when you arrive.
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Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life
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Inaugurations Past
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Spark!Lab
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The First Ladies at the Smithsonian
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The Price of Freedom Store located in the East Wing on the third floor, highlights leaders of the United States during wartime and offers military-inspired books, gifts, apparel, reproduction historic documents and mementos.
The Stars and Stripes Cafe (lower level west) offers a wide variety of natural and sustainable foods, beef burgers, pizza, hot dogs, barbecue, sandwiches, soups, salad bar and desserts.
For lighter fare or desserts, visit the Constitution Cafe (first floor), offering a variety of sandwiches, salads and soups made with natural and locally grown ingredients, as well as pastries, ice cream, specialty coffees and bottled beverages.
Six iconic artifacts point the way to themes and stories in American History.
Transportation and Technology
The 1831 "John Bull," one of the nation's earliest steam locomotives
Science and Innovation
The 1865 Vassar telescope used by America's first woman astronomer, Maria Mitchell
American Ideals
The Greensboro lunch counter of the civil rights era
American Lives
Horatio Greenough's statue of George Washington
Entertainment, Sports and Music
Disney's Dumbo elephant ride car
American Wars and Politics
Clara Barton's ambulance
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