EDM in the history museum: Steve Aoki gear travels the world and finds a home at the museum
Music blasts toward the audience as concertgoers dance to Steve Aoki's pounding bass rhythms and bright LED displays. The DJ throws cakes...
You're invited to a Bowl of Rice Party
Wartime often catalyzes developments in philanthropy. In 2017, the museum added the Bowl of Rice party banner, from fundraising efforts to...
6 Jewish American objects for Jewish American Heritage Month
In April 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed May to be Jewish American Heritage Month. Jewish American objects in our collections...

Blog Posts in "Women's History"

Photo of quilt panels
Finding America's participatory spirit in our quilt collection
Americans have often banded together for the common good. That could mean marching on the National Mall to protest injustice or...
Black and white photo of women in uniforms (pants, ties, hats, boots) lined up looking at a woman who appears to be in charge.
From satin to khaki: Women join the Military Preparedness Movement of 1916
6:00 a.m. June 16, 1916. Nestled in the Ramapo Mountains of Passaic County, New Jersey, lay an orderly row of cream-colored tents. At the...
Photo of white lace in the shape of a circle with lion and crown in center
At home and "Over There": Women in World War I object group
The Women in World War I object group was a long labor of love for my internship. Essentially an online exhibition, the object...
Patter with wide white strips, thin black stripes, and stylized bird and anti illustrations
The "new vogue for black and white" during World War I dye shortages
On December 18, 1915, Edith Bolling Galt married President Woodrow Wilson in a ceremony at her home in Washington, D.C. This very private...
A life-changing internship experience, thanks to the Hagan family
We recently shared a blog post featuring Bette and Lindsey Hagan, the mother and daughter who through their generous support created the...
Sheet music cover with witches
The New Woman meets the old witch
How would you describe a witch? Black pointy hats probably spring to mind, as well as a range of distinguishing ugly features like crooked...
Bette and Jim Hagan, 1980
The Hagan internship honors a history lover's legacy with a focus on women's history
With each new season, a new crop of interns comes to the National Museum of American History. Two museum supporters, Bette and Lindsey...
A photo of the bicycle in front of a palm tree
The Hope Diamond of bicycles? A curator's quest to uncover the history of a bejeweled bike
An 1896 Columbia woman's bicycle, made by Pope Manufacturing Company and embellished with gems and gold by Tiffany & Co., is currently...
A blinged-up beacon called Carol Channing
"I call it my diamond dress," cooed Broadway star Carol Channing in her distinctive voice, which combined little-girl innocence with great-...
Photo of white overalls splattered with paint
Three new collections represent Latinas from L.A.
As a curator at the National Museum of American History, I find that exhibitions are one space in which I can bring history to the public....
Photo of round, wooden table
How women's history and civil rights first came to the Smithsonian
You've just won voting rights for the women of America. What do you do next? Go to the Smithsonian!The women of The National American Woman...
Square shaped lace example, white on black background
The delicate "war laces" of World War I
"War" and "lace" are not often part of the same sentence. However, laces made in Belgium during World War I are an exception. About 50 of...
Green pocketbook
Discovery in the textile collection
In the colonial era, a certain type of pocketbook was all the rage from 1740 to 1790. Both women and men used them to carry valuables such...
1930s entrée salad molds, metallic containers with decorative designs on black background
Pass the gelatin: A taste of history through mid-century cooking
The Patrick F. Taylor Foundation Object Project is a new learning space that explores "everyday things that changed everything."...
Photo of bicycle
Uncovering the silver—and gold—lining of a Tiffany-embellished bicycle
An 1896 women's safety bicycle, currently on view in the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation Object Project, has proven to be one of the...
Violet postage stamp featuring portrait of Patrick Henry, with a simple frame around edge
Patrick and Sarah Henry: Mental illness in 18th century America
Curator Dr. Katherine Ott invited students in Dr. Samuel J. Redman's Museum/Historic Site Interpretation Seminar to explore the museum's...
Portrait of Caroline Jones at the start of her career as an advertising executive
Caroline R. Jones: Trailblazing adwoman
A fedora, Lucky Strike cigarettes, and a set of cocktail-ready tumblers: all the hallmarks of a 1960s ad agency were on display Thursday...
The Cycle Parade March sheet music
Cruising through America’s cycling history with a digital scrapbook
It's that time of year when many D.C. commuters forgo their usual Metro rides and haul their bicycles out of storage or rent a bikeshare...
Midwife tools
Midwives on horseback: Saddlebags and science
In 1931, the documentary The Forgotten Frontier asked, "Do you know that America is still a frontier country for about fifteen...
Curator preparing “Abigail” doll for display in the “American Enterprise” exhibition.
From "rag" doll to community riches
A small, 11" cloth doll might seem like an incongruous object for discussing the issues of the American Great Depression. Yet enduring the...
Watercolor image of woman with red flowers
Ethel Reed and the poster craze
During the 1890s, just about any flat surface in the public eye might be covered with simple, bold, and colorful posters. They advertised...
Two women wearing hats in WWI photo
Embroidery under fire
The scream of incoming shells would send French peasant women dashing to their cellars for safety, but then they would pick their...
"A Room of Her Own" by Sandra Cisneros at the National Museum of American History
Exploring Día de los Muertos with Sandra Cisneros
If you've ever confused Día de los Muertos with Halloween, you might be surprised to learn how very different these fall holidays are from...
paper dolls
Paper dolls and ready-to-wear brought flapper fashion to the masses
Paper dolls will be a part of Object Project and its exploration of ready-to-wear clothing. It opens July 2015.Celebrities sit in...
Trying deodorant on arm
Why I smell like it's 1903
Intern Caitlin Kearney follows a 111-year-old deodorant recipe. For history!Over the summer, I've been doing research for a new hands-on...
Selena's outfit in the collection
Still dreaming of you: Selena's outfit at the Smithsonian
Iconic cultural objects have the power to preserve beloved chapters of history long after they come to a close. As we approach the 20th...
Suzy Homemaker children's toy from 1950s-1960s, turquoise, with fake food inside
Suzy Homemaker, a slice of life from the 1960s
It was like Christmas morning in 1968 when our Suzy Homemaker toy refrigerator arrived at the museum (new in box, with original staples!)....
White and blue tennis Dress, worn by Bille Jean King during the "Battle of the Sexes"
Spinsters, confirmed bachelors, and LGBTQ collecting
As objects representing Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning history enter the museum's collection today,...
A group of chefs in the kitchen
Cooking in D.C. with Julia Child
Fans and friends of Julia Child will pause today, as they do every year on August 15, to remember the beloved icon of American culinary...
Cover of sheet music
Part I: "The Lady Nurse of Ward E" watches the Civil War come to Washington, D.C.
With Confederate troops looming just outside of Washington, D.C., July 1864 was an exciting and scary time to be a nurse in the city....
A family under the Smithsonian Castle doorway
Part II: "The Lady Nurse of Ward E" bids adieu to Washington, D.C.
This post continues the story of Civil War nurse Amanda Akin, which began in Part I.The chapel for Armory Square Hospital where Akin...
Jimmy Carter's FFA jacket, front and back
The search is over! Smithsonian announces the five FFA jacket donors
What do a former U.S. president, a spotted hog raiser, two former teachers, and a librarian have in common? They're all FFA (formerly known...
A vintage ad features monkeys in human clothing
From electric hairbrushes to toning sneakers: Absurd advertising for over 100 years
Although many of the products that Americans consume today would have been unimaginable to our forebears, the means by which they are...
Female staff member wearing blue gloves prepares to remove a brown Girl Scout uniform from an exhibition case
Where do we go from here? The life and times of temporary exhibitions
Why don't our exhibitions last forever? Where do they go when we take them down? Intern Elisabeth Warsinske reports on the afterlife of a...
At the Super Bowl, Renee Fleming prepares to sing in a black and white dress
Renée Fleming's Super Bowl gown: A curatorial jackpot
As part of our blog series about the Star-Spangled Banner leading up to Raise It Up! Anthem for America on Flag Day 2014, curator...
Needles, scissors, pins, and chatelaine from the, early 1800s, of the type Pickersgill and her assistants would have used to make the flag.
The African American girl who helped make the Star-Spangled Banner
Two hundred years ago, an African American girl made history—literally. She was an indentured servant named Grace Wisher in the household...
Peinetones: High combs, high fashion
Can you imagine wearing one of these?Peineton, Collection Museo Historico Cornelio Saavedra, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaMy goodness! It would...
You asked, we answered: Why did a female scientist get left off an exhibition label?
Today, on the anniversary of scientist Rosalind Franklin's death, we remember her with a story about how our audience pushed for her...
Votes for Women button
Traveling for Suffrage Part 4: Riding the rails
Intern Patri O'Gan shares a unique story of woman suffrage for Women's History Month in the final installment of the "Traveling for...
Votes for Women button
Traveling for Suffrage Part 3: Flying by the seat of their skirts
Intern Patri O'Gan shares a unique story of woman suffrage for Women's History Month. Read previous posts in the "Traveling for Suffrage"...
Votes for Women button
Traveling for Suffrage Part 2: General Jones and her army of suffrage pilgrims
Intern Patri O'Gan shares a unique story of woman suffrage for Women's History Month. Read Part 1, the previous post in the Traveling for...
"votes for women" pin with stars
Traveling for Suffrage Part 1: Two women, a cat, a car, and a mission
Intern Patri O'Gan shares a unique story of woman suffrage for Women's History Month.Woman suffrage button in the museum's collectionBy the...
A collection of sweetheart jewelry
The fashion, patriotism, and romance of World War II sweetheart jewelry
Does your family own any jewelry from World War II? Curator Kathleen Golden shares a few sweet pieces from our collection.In honor of...
Wendy Williams
How You Doin', Smithsonian? Collecting talk show history with The Wendy Williams Show
Ever wonder how the museum acquires all of its fantastic pop-culture memorabilia? Guest blogger Wendy Williams of The Wendy Williams...
Photo of a black purse with a short handle. It is rectangular and bulges in the middle as though it's full. A little worn around the edges. Metal buckle.
From closet to exhibition: Camilla Gottlieb's purse
Intern Peter Olson interviewed Curators Nancy Davis and William Yeingst, whose exhibition Camilla's Purse reveals the previously...
Casting Scarlett: Reflecting on "Gone With the Wind"
Today is the 75th anniversary of the announcement that Vivien Leigh would play Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. Guest...
Artist switches gears from Vietnam Women's Memorial to coin art
This Veterans Day weekend marks the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Women's Memorial. Curator Karen Lee spoke...
Poster show child playing with blocks that spell "E L R E T O"
Critical intersections: Histories of Latinos, reproduction, and disability
Smithsonian Latino Center Fellow Jessica Lott's dissertation research led her to our medicine and science collections, where she...

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