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Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Screenshot of the metadata (left) for a botanical specimen (right). The metadata shows Suzanne Ripley as the Collector.

The Challenge of Metadata in Uncovering Women’s History

Metadata is a vital tool for discovering and preserving history. Learn about efforts across the Smithsonian to highlight women’s contributions in American history with accurate metadata in museum collections.

Two hands holding a card with handwritten information. A stack of other handwritten papers is visible on the table below.

Discoverability Lab Offers New Look at Historical Data and Machine Learning

Explore early experiments to increase the discoverability of women's history at the Smithsonian.

Black and white portrait of Susan La Flesche Picotte on a photo card from the shoulders up.

How Susan and Rosalie La Flesche Made Omaha History

Better known as becoming the first Native American woman to receive a medical degree, Susan La Flesche, along with her sister Rosalie, made significant contributions to the anthropological study and preservation of Omaha tribal history.

Portrait of Ida B. Wells from the waist up in 3/4th profile.

New Coin Celebrates the Living Legacy of Ida B. Wells

Hear from author Michelle Duster about her great-grandmother Ida B. Wells’ lifelong fight for equality. Writer and activist Ida B. Wells was selected to appear on a new quarter as part of the 2025 American Women Quarters Program with the U.S. Mint.

Candid photo of seven women holding papers standing in a line on stage.

How Activism and International Women’s Year Fueled U.S. Efforts for Equality

When the UN declared 1975 to be International Women’s Year, President Ford signed an executive order responding to the growing momentum in the movement for gender equality. He established the Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year, which has had a lasting impact over the last fifty years.

Four women pose for a group photo.

What Drives Their Support? Our Donors Share the Stories

Hear what giving to the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum means to our donors. From Charter Members to Making History Network volunteers, the passionate members of our community help us fulfil our mission.

Two young people surrounded by greenery. One person has their hand outstretched towards a leafy bush in front of them.

Center for Community and Environment Educates and Inspires Youth for Innovative Change

The Center for Community and Environment, which receives funding administered by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, gives students and staff an opportunity to identify and explore issues of environmental inequity impacting their communities.

Black and white portrait of Dat So La Lee seated in a chair and surrounded by six decorative baskets on the floor by her feet.

Basket Maker Dat So La Lee’s Artistry Was a Means of Survival

Meet Dat So La Lee, a Washoe basket weaver whose signature degikup style preserved her cultural heritage and offered a means of survival as she adapted to the American economy.

Candid photo of Elena Terry smiling holding a white dish full of colorful beans, peppers, and corn tilted away from her.

How Chef Elena Terry Revisited Heritage Seeds to Cultivate Hope

Ho-Chunk Chef Elena Terry cultivates and cooks with ancestral seeds that were preserved despite forced tribal relocations. She focuses on providing opportunities to community members to eat and prepare traditional tribal foods as a method of healing.

Selfie of Joy Dean in her flight helmet. Clouds are reflected in the visor.

These Groundbreaking Pilots Made History 30 Years Ago as the First American Women to Fly Combat Missions

Launching from the deck of the USS Eisenhower, these women showed that being a good aviator has nothing to do with gender

Design of the quarter with Zitkala-Ša from the waist up holding a book. The words “author, activist, composer” are beside her.

Zitkala-Ša, Native American Rights Activist, Honored on New Quarter

Zitkala-Ša, “Red Bird,” Gertrude Simmons Bonnin: an activist, author, and composer who fought for citizenship and sovereignty for Native Americans is honored on a quarter as part of the American Women Quarters Program.

Candid black and white photo of people walking down the street. Two women face the camera in the foreground under an awning with the words “The First Women’s Bank” on it.

How the Equal Credit Opportunity Act Transformed Women's Economic Power

Learn about Emily Card, Jeanne Hubbard, Stephanie Lipscomb, and Rosemary Reed—four women whose stories about financial independence demonstrate the importance of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 and the phenomenon of women’s banks.

An illustration of a new species of phyla with a cone shaped bottom and thin tendrils coming out of the top.

Science Illustration: A Creative Door for Early Women in Science

Learn about Violet Dandridge, Aime Motter Awl, Carolyn Bartlett Gast, and Marilyn Schotte: four women from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Department of Invertebrate Zoology who broke through the gendered barriers of science and made significant contributions to scientific discovery through art.

A black-and-white photograph of Fannie Lou Hamer carrying a sign and holding an umbrella over her head.

Fannie Lou Hamer and the Fight for Voting Rights

Learn about Fannie Lou Hamer, a voting rights activist whose vision for an inclusive political future laid the groundwork for the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Six women sitting closely together posing for the camera. They are wearing uniforms with light skirts and dark jackets and an armband with the letter C on it.

Lee Miller's Legacy: From Fashion Model to War Correspondent

Lee Miller, who captured some of the most harrowing photographs of World War II, started as a model and Surrealist photographer. Learn about her life and legacy that has inspired a major motion picture.

A black-and-white photograph of seven women standing on a flight of stairs. Mae Reeves stands to the farthest right on the lowest step and wears a white hat and floral patterned handbag.

Five Women to Know for American Business Women's Day

Learn about Mae Reeves, Anna Bissell, Estée Lauder, Maggie Walker, and Sara Sunshine—five women from Smithsonian collections who ran businesses and made history.

A black silhouette of a jumping woman against a colorful fabric background.

Foregrounding Fiber in American Art

The Renwick Gallery’s newest exhibition, Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women, showcases artists who used everyday materials such as cotton, felt, and wool to tell deeply personal stories and offer an alternate view of American art.

A group of thirteen people stand together in front of green shrubs and the Smithsonian Castle.

Because of Her Story Interns Uplifted Women’s History Across Smithsonian

See what projects the Because of Her Story interns worked on this summer to amplify and uplift American women’s history across the Smithsonian.

Elizabeth Babcock from the waist up against a white background. She is leaning against a wall with her arms crossed in front of herself.

Plans, Partnerships and Powerful Women: An Interview with Director Elizabeth Babcock

In this interview, Elizabeth Babcock discusses her goals for her first year as founding director of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, plans for building successful partnerships, and the women who have inspired her and surprised her

Adidas soccer ball autographed by the gold medal Women's National Soccer team from the 2012 Olympics.

The Gold Standard: How These Iconic Olympic Athletes Inspired and United Us

Get a behind-the-scenes peek at objects from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History sports collection. Watch as actress Rosario Dawson relives Olympic gold memories and discusses the inspiring future of women’s sports with curator Eric Jentsch

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