In the early 20th century, manufacturer and candy maker Samuel Carey produced machinery, like cocoa roasters and chocolate paste mixers, for confectioners in the United States. This trade catalog from around 1915 gives us a look at the tools of the trade.
Join the curators of our exhibition "Magnificent Obsessions: Why We Collect" for a discussion of the fascinating book collectors that helped build our library collections.
Smithsonian Libraries and Archives launches a new series of interactive, online collections focused on information literacy. This set, available in Smithsonian Learning Lab, is dedicated to helping users think critically about how they identify, find, evaluate, and use information effectively.
Early 20th century trade catalogs in the National Museum of American History Trade Literature Collection highlight a range of sturdy, vintage satchels and trunks.
Grab your popcorn! To mark the Smithsonian’s 175th anniversary this year, the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives will host monthly virtual programs featuring films from the collections of the Smithsonian Institution Archives. Register today.
The Hungerford Deed, a 1787 property contract donated to the Smithsonian Institution Archives in 2019, offers a unique glimpse at the family dynamics that shaped James Smithson into our founding donor. An upcoming web exhibition and program provide opportunities to learn more about this intriguing document.
In the early 20th century, retailers John Wanamaker and Herr, Thomas & Co courted consumers with a wide range of furnishings. Take a look back at some very familiar home goods, like beds and drapes, and some lesser-known, like the biaphone and cuspidor.
An article from Forest and Stream in 1894 included chilling photos of slain buffalo in Yellowstone Park. It helped pass an act outlining punishment for poaching on public lands. But the photos were fakes.
Bird lover and citizen scientist James W. Eike (1911-1983) documented birds near his home in northern Virginia. His personal notes, demonstrating his love of both birds and his family, make his field books a joy to explore.
The Biodiversity Heritage Library brings together over 59 million pages of natural history literature for researchers around the world. Learn more about this important resource, based at the Smithsonian.
Louisa Bernie Gallaher was assistant to the Smithsonian’s first and chief photographer, Thomas W. Smillie. But she was an accomplished photographer herself and is responsible for much of the work produced by the photographic laboratory of the United States National Museum (USNM).
Take a closer look at the work of Smithsonian Libraries and Archives book conservators through a new video series. While they’ve had to step away from the bench during the pandemic, our Preservation Services staff have been hard at work describing some of their remarkable conservation techniques in video form.
Take a step back in time to a library at the turn of the 20th century. Many of the tools and supplies that were used to keep the library running might be familiar, but some have been replaced by more modern technology.
In honor of National Library Week, the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives have created nine new virtual meeting backgrounds that bring you into our spaces and, in some cases, right into the pages of our books.
One of the first three woman to be accepted into the Academy of Natural Sciences, Graceanna Lewis broke barriers in science, but she was also remembered for playing a key role in the Underground Railroad.
As winter winds down and spring approaches, outdoor activities start to look more appealing. How did people a 100 years ago spend their free time outside? The National Museum of American History Library's Trade Literature Collection offers a few clues to some very recognizable pastimes.
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/c2/05/c205c149-dd0f-4bae-8021-946e2de4a58b/mo_talk_graphic.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/Info_Lit_Social_Assets_-_landscape.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/Herr-Thomas-Co.-Catalogue-No.-101-trunks-and-satchels-page-74.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/Film_Fest_Promotional_GIF.gif)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/Deed3.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/reportofunitedst1887unit_0511_crop.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/Murray-and-Baker-Awnings-and-Tents-Signs-and-Banners-page-28.jpeg)
![Plate from Conchology, or, The natural history of shells. London :W. Miller,[1811]. (Biodiversity Heritage Library, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives).](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/vE5RVsuyRZ39VMQHOzwqrwo4xnQ=/150x150/filters:focal(836x1517:837x1518)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/Conchologynaturc2Perr_0212.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/Library-Bureau-Classified-Illustrated-Catalog-1899-page-82-perforating-stamp.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/Screen_Shot_2021-03-24_at_9.47.35_AM.png)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/01_Crimilda_Pontes_SI_Sunburst.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/undergroundra00stil_0801.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/John-Wanamaker-Spring-Summer-1915-Catalog-front-cover.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/blogging/featured/2021_AaB_graphic.jpg)