As we celebrated our 50th anniversary this year, we often gave blog readers a peek behind the scenes. Here are our readers' favorite posts that reveal what it's like to work behind-the-scenes at the Smithsonian.
1. From closet to exhibition: Camilla Gottlieb's purse
Discovered in the back of the closet after grandma passed away: a purse packed to the gills with documents. Camilla Gottlieb had never spoken about her experience surviving the Holocaust, but the purse's documents would help put the story back together. Curators Nancy Davis and William Yeingst worked with Gottlieb's family to bring the purse into the museum's collections.
2. Why did a female scientist get left off an exhibition label?
An object related to the discovery of the structure of DNA is on display in our American Stories exhibition. Many visitors tweeted the museum to ask why a female scientist’s name was left off the accompanying label. In this post, a staff member not only answers this question but shares good news: Rosalind Franklin's name is now on the label.
3. Are these John Wilkes Booth's field glasses?
When you work at a history museum, you get used to lots of "maybes," and it's often the m-word that inspires you to deeply research an intriguing pair of field glasses.
4. Spinsters, confirmed bachelors, and LGBTQ collecting
The Smithsonian has been collecting artifacts for over 100 years. Some of those objects relate to the histories of people who we would now identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. But in their time, those words often did not exist. Craving historical clarity, Curator Katherine Ott explores these complicated issues and related objects.
5. Helping kids fall in love with non-interactive museum exhibitions
Museum insider, mom, and educator Sarah Erdman shares her tips for getting maximum fun out of a hands-off museum.
6. Get money! (Digitized and transcribed, that is)
Most museums can't display more than a small portion of their vast collections. Same here. Our numismatics team is working to put their fascinating objects online—with the help of some new technology and zealous volunteers.
7. 50 years ago today: Opening a Palace of Progress
You may know it's our 50th birthday this year. But did you know we used to go by a different name and were more focused on the future than the past? Or that President Lyndon Johnson spoke at our opening ceremony?
8. Cannon fire, music, and tweets: Celebrating a star-spangled anniversary
The life of a social media intern during our War of 1812 commemoration: spelling "vexillologist" correctly while avoiding smoke from cannons. And she loved it!
9. So you want to curate an exhibit about the 1960s
Putting together a display on the early 1960s: groovy but challenging.
Erin Blasco is an education specialist who manages the museum's blog and social media. Apply for a summer internship with her in the New Media Department.
