Examining an Understudied Photography Process

Ranging from asbestos newspaper used for insulation to photos on glass broken into a gazillion little pieces, photograph and paper conservator Shannon Brogdon-Grantham fields some strange and unusual questions. Along with her fellow colleagues at the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute, Brogdon-Grantham helps Smithsonian museums and research centers figure out the best ways to store, protect, and display their collections. Fro...

Photo Forensics: How We Date Early Photography

Ranging from asbestos newspaper used for insulation to photos on glass broken into a gazillion little pieces, photograph and paper conservator Shannon Brogdon-Grantham fields some strange and unusual questions. Along with her fellow colleagues at the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute, Brogdon-Grantham helps Smithsonian museums and research centers figure out the best ways to store, protect, and display their collections. Fr...

10 Years of the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Happy 10th anniversary to our @NMAAHC .

Cannonball! Dive into the latest @hirshhorn sculpture

A 28-foot-tall sculpture at our @hirshhorn is sure to make a big splash.

Shell yeah! Get a glimpse of our mollusk collections.

Shell-a-brate good (collections organized by taxonomic order), c’mon!

The shocking #history behind school desks

Picture it, you and your best friend have desks next to each other on the first day of school...and then desks across the room on the second day. Back in the late 1800s, American innovators took a special interest in desk designs as the U.S. population increased and more students began to attend school. This desk, a patent model from 1870, has a drawer and an inkwell, not too dissimilar to school desks today which sometimes have indentations ...

This flag was found in the debris of the World Trade Center after the September 11 attacks

Just days after the September 11 attacks, this damaged American flag was found at a debris site in New York City. Today, it’s a symbol not just of destruction, but also of community resilience. Two months after the attacks, Congress officially designated our @SmithsonianAmHistory as the national repository for September 11 collections. From airplane fragments to uniforms worn by first responders,...

Smithsonian Castle: Illuminated!

Refik Anadol shares how Smithsonian Open Access sparked the imagination behind the data-driven artwork projected onto the Smithsonian Castle in July 2026. With more than 5.1 million free-to-use digital collection items, Open Access invites everyone to discover, create, and explore. See the Smithsonian through Anadol’s eyes and unlock even more with MySmithsonian at my.si.edu

Refik Anadol Reveals His Smithsonian Inspiration | MySmithsonian

What inspires one of the world’s leading digital artists? Refik Anadol shares how Smithsonian Open Access became a creative playground for his imagination, fueling the data-driven artwork projected onto the Smithsonian Castle in July 2026. With Smithsonian Open Access, more than 5.1 million digital collection items are free to download, share, and reuse, empowering anyone to discover the Smithsonian’s collections and ...

The Importance of Star Trek in Pop Culture as Seen Through the Smithsonian Collections

As Star Trek celebrates its 60th anniversary, explore iconic objects from the Smithsonian's collections.

Rare Bejeweled Bookbinding

This cow is made from 600 lbs of butter

Butter late than never!

Remembering Yayoi Kusama

“Our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos. Polka dots are a way to infinity.” –Yayoi Kusama We remember Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who splashed our worlds—and Instagram feeds—with repetitive polka dot patterns and kaleidoscopic installations. Our @hirshhorn has been collecting Kusama’s artwork since 1996. The museum is home to the artist’s milestone “Infinity Mirror Room—Phalli’s Field (Floor Show)” (1965/2017)...