Getting to Know Whistler’s Father
Whistler’s mother is a superstar. But the painter’s dad has languished in obscurity—until now
When Collectors Cut Off Pieces of the Star-Spangled Banner As Keepsakes
For years patriots clamored for swatches of the enormous flag that raised spirits at “dawn’s early light”
How a Squeegee Handle Became a Life-Saving Tool on September 11, 2001
Artifacts now on loan to New York City’s National September 11 Memorial and Museum tell the story in ways that words cannot
Artist Will Cotton Reveals How He and Katy Perry Played an Elaborate Game of Candy Land
Artist Will Cotton’s painting Cupcake Katy goes on view at the National Portrait Galley to welcome the pop star to D.C.
See 19th-Century London Through the Eyes of James McNeill Whistler, One of America’s Greatest Painters
The largest U.S. display in 20 years of Whistler artworks highlights the artist’s career in England
Gardens May Change From Season To Season, But Their History Lives On At the Smithsonian
Smithsonian Gardens announces a new digital archive to collect the stories, photographs, legend and lore of America’s gardens and gardeners
‘Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark’ Suit Receives a Lifetime Encore at the American History Museum
After a two-year run on Broadway, the web-slinging stage show’s iconic superhero costume is heading to the Smithsonian.
Why Do We Love R2-D2 and Not C-3PO?
With its stubby cylindrical body and playful whistles and beeps, the lovable Star Wars’ robot R2-D2 is just the right mix of man and machine
Tokyo in Transition: Woodblock Prints Cast an Ambiguous Light on Japan’s Modernization
A collection of works by the great Eastern modernist Kobayashi Kiyochika are on view at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum
Track the Nation’s T-Rex as it Arrives at the Smithsonian
The Natural History Museum’s much-anticipated fossil completes the ultimate road trip: a 2,000 mile journey from Montana to our nation’s capital.
When Marian Anderson Sang at the Lincoln Memorial, Her Voice Stunned the Crowd, and Her Gold-Trimmed Jacket Dazzled
With no color photos of her famous performance in existence, the brilliance of Marian Anderson’s bright orange outfit has been lost, until now
Felix Baumgartner’s Spacesuit From His Death-Defying Stratospheric Jump Joins the Smithsonian Collections
The pressurized suit, parachute and the balloon gondola that allowed Baumgartner to break records goes on view at the Air and Space Museum
Seldom Scene, Often Heard: A Bluegrass Band Returns to its Roots With a New Album
The current members of the legendary Washington, D.C.-based bluegrass band celebrate four decades of making music
A Sax Supreme: John Coltrane’s Legendary Instrument Joins the Collections of the American History Museum
Ravi Coltrane, son of jazz musicians John and Alice Coltrane, donates one of his father’s three saxophones
The Story of NASA’s Jet-Propulsion Backpack
Thirty years ago, astronauts set out on the first untethered space odyssey
Artwork Culled From the Collections Proves That No One Will Ever Be As Fashionable As the French
This collection of early 20th-century fashion plates reveal how women used their wardrobe for empowerment
Steeped in Admiration: Tracing a Ceramic Tea Jar’s Journey From Factory to Fame
“Chigusa and the Art of Tea” at the Sackler Gallery explores how a humble vessel became a revered object among Japanese tea men.
National Zoo Celebrates Second African Lion Cub Birth in Three Months
On Sunday, 9-year-old lion Shera became the mother of four new additions to the pride
Demaking Halo, Remaking Art: ‘Halo 2600’ Developer Discusses the Promise of Video Games
Ed Fries talks with Smithsonian magazine about programming the Atari 2600 and shaping the future of interactive media.
How Merv Griffin Came Up With That Weird Question/Answer Format for Jeopardy!
Champion Ken Jennings delves into what gives the virtually unchanged game show its lasting power
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