Magnifying Glass, 2000
Magnifying Glass, 2000
Previous
Next
Usage conditions apply
- Description
- The presidential contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore came down to Florida in November 2000. A confusing ballot design and incomplete punch marks hampered the recount effort, which ground into late November until halted by the Supreme Court.
- In Broward County, teams of counters examined each ballot, forwarding cards in need of interpretation to Judge Robert A. Rosenberg. A famous photograph shows Rosenberg peering through a magnifying glass at a ballot and the “chads” (paper fragments) dangling from incomplete punch marks. This is one of two magnifying glasses that Rosenberg used and kept as souvenirs of the recount, together with a bag of “authentic chads.”
- Gift of Robert A. Rosenberg, 2001–2004
- Object Name
- magnifying glass
- date made
- 2000
- Physical Description
- black (overall color)
- glass (overall material)
- colorless (overall color)
- plastic (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 9 in x 4 1/2 in; 22.86 cm x 11.43 cm
- ID Number
- 2001.0092.03
- accession number
- 2001.0092
- catalog number
- 2001.0092.03
- Credit Line
- Robert A. Rosenberg
- subject
- Elections
- Presidential Campaign of 2000
- See more items in
- Political and Military History: Political History, Campaign Collection
- Government, Politics, and Reform
- Souvenir Nation
- American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith
- Exhibition
- American Democracy
- Exhibition Location
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.
Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.
