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The Painter (Self-portrait at Work), oil on canvas, 1946. Gilot painted the self-portrait while she and Picasso were staying in Antibes, on the French Riviera.

Françoise Gilot Was More Than Picasso’s Muse

The artist famously inspired the Cubist, but a new book shows that her own paintings deserve renown

Left, luthier Reuben Forsland gazes out his studio window. Right, a close-up of the “Legacy” guitar, custom-built by Forsland, commissioned by a son to honor his father.   

Each Guitar Reuben Forsland Makes Tells a Story

The Canadian luthier builds custom instruments from unique materials that deliver impeccable sound

Left, the Chiquibul Forest in Belize, near the spot where the fabled Tree once grew. Right, a custom guitar crafted from the Tree’s distinctive mahogany.

The Legend of the Music Tree

Exotic lumber salvaged from a remote forest in Belize is the world’s most coveted tonewood

An aerial view of San Juan, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Explore the history, culture and natural wonders of the United States territory

Chinchorrear, or the act of hopping between multiple chinchorros to eat, drink and dance, has become an essential part of Puerto Rican culture.

Puerto Rico

The Lure of Puerto Rico’s Chinchorros

Eating, drinking and dancing between food stalls has become a popular way to experience the island

One reader wonders how birds stay balanced on tree branches while they’re asleep.   

Ask Smithsonian

How Do Birds Stay Upright When They Are Sleeping?

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts

The Queen's Ball, a ticketed experience from Netflix tied to the second season of "Bridgerton," is just one example of modern audiences' enthusiasm for the Regency era.

Based on a True Story

Why Are Regency-Era Shows Like ‘Bridgerton’ So Popular?

An Austen expert and a period drama TV critic reflect on the enduring appeal of romance series set in turn-of-the-19th-century England

It’s shocking how many everyday inventions we use without acknowledging the inventors that helped bring them to us.

Innovation for Good

Five Women Inventors You Didn’t Learn About in History Class

These innovators pioneered word processing, launched Americans into space and more

Bald eagles are intensely social in spite of also being fierce predators. Some 500 live near the remote fishing port of Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

Planet Positive

The Bald Eagle’s Soaring Return Shows That the U.S. Can Change for the Better

The true meaning of a national symbol

Biologists of the past often explained the vast spectrum of animal genitalia with "lock-and-key": the hypothesis that vaginas and penises had primarily evolved to fit into each other mechanically. Today, there is a growing appreciation for the myriad of forces acting on genitals.

Why Have Female Animals Evolved Such Wild Genitals?

From ducks to dolphins, females have developed sex organs that help them deter undesirable suitors and derive pleasure from non-reproductive behavior

Male Svalbard walruses cluster by the shore. Each weighs an average of about 3,000 pounds and is up to ten feet long.

Planet Positive

A Welcome Comeback for Norway’s Walruses

A hunting ban has fostered the return of a nearly extinct species

A wooden trestle bridge near Terrace, Utah. The state has more intact miles of original railroad grade than any other in the West.

Untold Stories of American History

What Archaeologists Are Learning About the Lives of the Chinese Immigrants Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad

In the sparse Utah desert, the vital contributions of these 19th-century laborers are finally coming to light

Lions spritzed with the hormone oxytocin stayed closer together.

Planet Positive

Can Spraying Lions With the ‘Love Hormone’ Help Them Live Together?

Researchers administered oxytocin to captive animals, and preliminary results showed the big cats were less hostile towards strangers

A rare sighting of a northern spring salamander on migration night. These nocturnal creatures spend their days hiding under logs and stones.

Planet Positive

Why Did the Salamander Cross the Road?

To reproduce, of course. And a band of volunteers gathers at night to help it—and countless other amphibians—get to the other side

St. Wystan’s church in Repton. In 873-874, a Viking army is believed to have entrenched in the garden. Right, Viking burial mounds in Heath Wood.

Digging Up the Rich Viking History of Britain

A massive 1,100-year-old graveyard leads to a surprising new view of the Nordic legacy in Britain

Jackie Robinson, seen savoring a 1956 win over Pittsburgh, debuted in the major leagues on April 15, 1947, as Brooklyn’s first baseman.

How Baseball Put Its Stamp on the American Psyche

An exhibition at the National Postal Museum examines the history of the nation’s favorite pastime

The Saguache Crescent’s masthead is cast from lead in a process that allows it to survive a year of printing.

This Small-Town Newspaper Is the Last of Its Kind

The “Saguache Crescent,” a weekly in a Colorado hamlet, still prints on the 19th-century technology known as linotype

A western-style performance outfit worn by Patsy Cline and sewed by her mother. The suit features record-shaped patches stitched with the titles of some of Cline's records.  

Women Who Shaped History

When Patsy Cline Broke Through as a Country Music Phenom

The recording star sported a homemade suit as spectacular as her voice

A full-scale replica of Notre-Dame’s Truss 6 in Washington, D.C. last summer.

How to Rebuild Notre-Dame Using 12th-Century Tools

In Washington, D.C., an innovative team of designers demonstrated how medieval techniques could be used to repair the Parisian landmark

Left, the 19th-century Church of Santa Lucia, in Longiaru, in northern Italy. Right, the largely abandoned southern village of Pentedattilo.

How Italy Is Bringing Its Rustic Villages Back to Life

Take a photographic tour through the country’s effort to revitalize its rural towns

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