Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Arts & Culture

None

The Transformation of Freshkills Park From Landfill to Landscape

Freshkills was once the biggest landfill in the world. Today, it’s the biggest park in New York City

Dress code illustration, 1960s

Dress Codes and Etiquette, Part 1: What Not to Wear to High School in the 1960s

Before the Age of Aquarius, there was the age of administrators and their button-down rules about students’ wardrobes

None

The Michelin Guide: Why We Look to Automotive Experts for Dining Advice

How did a tire company get in the restaurant reviewing business?

None

Stocking Series, Part 4: The Rebellious Roll Garters

Wearing rolled stocking back then must have been akin to the liberating, punk rock feeling of wearing ripped fishnets today

Art.sy’s mission is to make all of the world’s art accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.

Mapping the Art Genome

A new Web site called Art.sy recommends art based on a visitor’s preference for a particular artist or artwork

None

San Francisco’s Makeathon Leads the Way for Hacking the Urban Landscape

How citizens are using design interventions to shuffle social dynamics and change public space in cities

None

Painting Portraits With Bacteria

Microbiologist Zachary Copfer has created detailed portraits of famous artists and scientists in petri dishes

None

This 105-Year-Old Made Marilyn Monroe’s Earrings

Meet Sadie Mintz, a jewelry maker who saw her handiwork on the cover of LIFE magazine

“The Duke” is the official football of the NFL

How Did the Pigskin Get Its Shape?

American football may have evolved from soccer and rugby, but it turns out that the football was never truly designed, it just sort of happened

Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors original label featured a topless cowgirl (left) who got a fringed bolero in 1963.

As a Matter of Fact: Jockeys, Tartans and Cowboy Glam

The real stories behind some fashion fads and classics hold some surprising twists

None

Sinfully Delicious Apples That You Should Never Try to Eat

Inspired by the work of Cornell scientists, Los Angeles-based Jessica Rath creates sculptures and photographs of the autumn fruit

None

George Washington and Abigail Adams Get an Extreme Makeover

Conservators at the National Gallery Art restored Gilbert Stuart portraits of our founding figures, making them look good as new

Christopher Bonanos of New York chronicles the rise and fall of Polaroid.

Why Polaroid Inspired Both Steve Jobs and Andy Warhol

Beloved by innovators and artists alike, the camera company dissolved into history once it lost its beloved CEO. Apple should take note

Amazing Photographs of Water Droplets Colliding

See the results of 98-year-old Irving Olson’s kitchen experiments

The Black Sapote fruit develops a distinct “chocolate pudding” flavor after it has softened on the ground for a week or two.

All the Insane Australian Fruit You Can Eat

What the heck are black sapotes, carambolas and pomelo fruits?

Maria Snyder, Italian Vanity, Versace, 1983

Antonio’s World: The Life and Work of a Celebrated Fashion Illustrator

Antonio Lopez’s electrifying art defined the style of the times, 1960s-‘80s. Now, a gallery show and book call renewed attention to his accomplishments

None

This Just In

Root and Branch

A chronology of NFL helmets

Leatherhead to Radio-Head: The Evolution of the Football Helmet

From hand-cobbled beginnings, the football helmet has shifted to become one of the most highly designed pieces of equipment in all of sports

PHOTOS: What Happens When a Rebel Turns Graffiti Art Upside Down

Artist Evan Roth’s award-winning work puts the action in interaction

A still of Jordan from the video Shadow Sites II, by Jananne Al-Ani.

Spotlight

Page 222 of 368