 |
NEWS |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
“Treasures
of American History” Opens Nov. 17
Travel through
time and space when the National Museum of American History
opens "Treasures of American History" on Nov. 17 at the
National Air and Space Museum. Dorothy's ruby slippers and the
scarecrow costume from "The Wizard of Oz," George Washington's
uniform, Thomas Edison's lightbulb, Helen Keller's watch, and
Jacqueline Kennedy's inaugural ball gown are just a few of the
150 icons on display while the Museum's building is closed for
architectural renovation.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Museum
Investigates 155-Year-Old Mystery
The Museum
received a Getty Foundation grant to examine a 155-year-old
mystery that remains one of the most controversial questions
in photography. In 1850 Rev. Levi Hill allegedly invented a
way to produce naturally colored daguerrotypes (one of the
earliest forms of photography). Though Hill’s daguerreotypes
were indeed in color, many experts argue that he colored his
photographs by hand. Others insisted they were natural. Museum
staff will study the 62 Hillotypes in its collections to find
answers to this controversy.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Picket
Signs from Gay Civil Rights Pioneer Join Museum
Collections
Longtime civil rights activist Franklin
Edward Kameny presented many of his original picket signs to
the Museum in a donation ceremony during which he gave more
than 70,000 letters and documents to the Library of Congress.
Carried in front of the White House and the Pentagon, these
signs relate to Kameny’s pivotal work in the gay civil
equality movement. They join such similar artifacts in the
Museum’s collections as abolition broadsheets, suffragist
banners, and civil rights protest signs.
|
|
|
|
|
TRANSFORMING THE MUSEUM |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
“John
Bull” under Wraps for Renovation
Protecting a
10-ton, 275-year-old operable steam locomotive during
renovation is a daunting task. After months of planning and
research, the securing of the John Bull has begun. The
engine is now covered with a Tyvek sheet designed to both keep
dust out and let moisture escape. The next stages include
removing the background mural and erecting a wooden box around
the engine.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Announcing
the Star-Spangled Banner Campaign
Later this month
the Museum will kick off a campaign to provide a new home for
America’s most treasured flag, and to transform the country’s
only national history museum into a more magnificent place to
learn about our nation’s past. The Star-Spangled Banner, the
flag that inspired our national anthem, needs a new home, to
preserve and display it for generations to come. And the
Museum needs your help. Please join our campaign to protect
this national icon!
|
|
 About the Renovation
|
|
|
EVENTS |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Lemelson
Center Symposium: Inventing America
“The Interplay
of Technology and Democracy in Shaping American Identity” is
the theme of this symposium commemorating the 300th
anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Franklin. Events will
examine how Franklin, Jefferson, and their contemporaries saw
technology as integral to the creation of a democratic
republic, as well as how Americans since Franklin’s time have
wrestled with the interplay of technology and democracy. Nov.
2-4, Washington, D.C., and the University of Virginia,
Charlottesville.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Smithsonian
Jazz Masterworks Orchestra: Keter Betts Tribute
The
late Keter Betts (bassist for Dinah Washington and Ella
Fitzgerald) was known for his deep bluesy tone and creative
stylings. Vocalist Vanessa Rubin, pianists Junior Mance and
Robert Redd, bassists Michael Bowie and James King, drummer
Lenny Robinson, and saxophonist Davey Yarborough perform two
tribute concerts that benefit Kennedy Center jazz education
programs. Friday, Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m., John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts. Tickets required.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Smithsonian
Jazz Masterworks Orchestra on Tour: The Music of Quincy Jones
and Oliver Nelson
Composer, performer, author, and
educator, David N. Baker conducts the 17-member SJMO ensemble
in a lively presentation of the music of jazz saxophonist and
composer Oliver Nelson, together with the work of music
impresario Quincy Jones. Thurs., Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m., Tennessee
Performing Arts Center, Nashville. Tickets required.
|
|
|
|
|
EXHIBITIONS |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
“Diana
Walker: Photojournalist” in Atlanta through Nov.
19
Diana Walker covered White House life as a
freelance photographer and for Time magazine from the Ford to
Clinton administrations. This exhibition comprises 82 color
and black-and-white photographs of Walker’s White House work
as well as portraits of other noteworthy people and events. On
view at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in
Atlanta through Nov. 26. The exhibition travels to the Frazier
International History Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, in
December.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
“Sports:
Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers” at the Oakland Museum of
California
This traveling exhibition focuses on
exceptional athletes and remarkable events, showing how men
and women athletes have helped shatter cultural and political
barriers for all Americans. Experience the exhibition at the
Oakland Museum of California through Jan. 6, 2007 or visit it
online. The
exhibition moves to the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus,
Ohio, in Feb. 2007.
|
|
See all Traveling Exhibitions
|
|
|
ON THE WEB |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
How
We Vote: Museum Curator Discusses Voting
Machines
During this year’s election season, the
methods used for recording votes have once again become a
subject of controversy. Larry Bird, curator in the Division of
Politics & Reform, notes that “Voting and the devices that
have been made to record and count the vote have always been
questioned and scrutinized…”
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Podcast:
Interview with Author Walter Isaacson
The Museum
publishes a twice-monthly free podcast from the Lemelson
Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation called
“Prototype Online: Inventive Voices.” In this installment,
Walter Isaacson, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute and
author of "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life," discusses the
role of communications technology in democracy. Isaacson will
explore this topic further at a public
program on Nov. 2.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Featured
Object: Ambrotype of Mea-to-sa-bi-tchi-a, or Smutty
Bear
Take time during American Indian Heritage
Month to explore some of the Museum’s online collections. This
ambrotype portrait of Mea-to-sa-bi-tchi-a, a Yankton Dakota,
is among the first photographic images of Native Americans.
This photograph is one of a series of portrait daguerreotypes
made of Native American chiefs as they crossed the country to
meet with U.S. government officials in Washington,
D.C.
|
|
|
|
|
FOR
EDUCATORS |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
“The
Price of Freedom: Americans at War” Teacher's
Manual
Discuss the origins and meaning of Veterans
Day in your classroom by learning about the military service
of soldiers and their families throughout American history.
This downloadable guide offers creative and engaging
strategies to help students learn how wars have been defining
moments in both the history of the nation and the lives of
individual Americans. For grades 5-12.
|
|
Educators page
|
|
|
FOR KIDS & FAMILIES |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Who
Am I? A History Mystery
Honor the military service
of men and women on Veterans Day. Play our online game "Who Am
I?" to meet six individuals, each involved in an American war.
Select a mystery character. Then find the objects that hold
the key to their identity. Are you up for a
challenge?
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The
Buffalo Hide Painting: What Story Does it
Tell?
Take an up-close look at a buffalo hide
painting made by a Plains Indian artist. Try your hand at
being a historian as you examine the painting for clues to its
story. Then learn how to make your own hide
painting!
|
|
Kids page
|
|
|
SHOPPING |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
After you enjoy our “Treasures”
exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum, visit the
store to pick up a treasure of your own. You'll find
presidential-themed gifts for all ages--from Lincoln's hat to
first ladies chocolates to a cuddly teddy bear. A “Treasures
of American History” companion book will also be
available.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright ©
National Museum of American History. All Rights
Reserved.
14th Street and Constitution Ave. NW, Washington
DC 20560
Brent D. Glass, director
Map
& Directions
Admission to the National Museum of
American History is FREE.
CONTACT US
General
Smithsonian Visitor Information: 202-633-1000
or see our Contact
List
Frequently
Asked Questions
Media inquiries: 202-633-3129 or
visit our Press
room |
|
