Division of Work and Industry

The division brings together collections in the history of technology, work, business, communications, food, energy, agriculture, numismatics, and visual cultures. The division cares for collections that originated in the 19th century and include the earliest known objects and images in the Smithsonian’s holdings. Researchers can find national treasures and the remnants of everyday activities. Curators are actively collecting in contemporary areas of interest spanning agriculture, automation, business, communications, energy production, food and brewing, photography, prints, and work.