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At the Smithsonian

Three-Room Dwelling (detail) by Frances Glessner Lee, about 1944-46

Home Is Where the Corpse Is—at Least in These Dollhouse Crime Scenes

Frances Glessner Lee’s “Nutshell Studies” exemplify the intersection of forensic science and craft

Bone Armchair by Joris Laarman Lab, 2007

Have We Been Building Chairs All Wrong?

Experimental Dutch designer Joris Laarman uses algorithms and digital technology to innovate through constraint

The responsive-design website fits your phone, tablet and computer and can be used to make an itinerary for easy printout and planning.

Take a Tour of the Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific Collections this Autumn

Diverse artifacts all across the Smithsonian Institution captivate and confound in equal measure

Cat's Head, 30 BCE to third century CE

Freer|Sackler: Reopens

Why the Ancient Egyptians Loved Their Kitties

A show opening at the Sackler dramatizes the various meanings that the people of Egypt once associated with cats

A bust of the legless "bicycle girl" zombie executed by Rick Grimes in the Walking Dead pilot.

America’s Undead Are Immortalized at the Smithsonian

The cast of “The Walking Dead” donates a set of perfectly macabre Halloween gifts

Despite the best efforts of many investigators, no one was able to solve the riddle of exactly how Mumler created his apparitions.

Meet Mr. Mumler, the Man Who “Captured” Lincoln’s Ghost on Camera

When America’s first aerial cameraman met an infamous spirit photographer, the chemistry was explosive

Elders Council Secretary Judy Augusta and Elders Council Member Catherine Ford tour the American Indian Museum's exhibition "Nation to Nation" on the day the Treaty of Fort Wayne is put on view.

A Territorial Land Grab That Pushed Native Americans to the Breaking Point

The 1809 treaty that fueled Tecumseh’s war on whites at the Battle of Tippecanoe is on view at the American Indian Museum

The installation Terminal allows visitors to walk through the work, between the spires and beneath the canopy that connects them.

Freer|Sackler: Reopens

Get Lost Inside These Golden Spires Transforming the Sackler Pavilion

Terminal,the work of acclaimed artist Subodh Gupta, recalls an urban cityscape

In the late Bronze Age, ca. 500-450 BCE, bells were made in sets that rang different notes according to size.

Freer|Sackler: Reopens

A Rare Collection of Bronze Age Chinese Bells Tells a Story of Ancient Innovation

These rarely played ancient bells are newly analyzed with their acoustics remastered and digitized for a new exhibition at the Sackler Gallery

A succulent spread from Petworth-based Japanese restaurant Himitsu, one of the many D.C. vendors that will be represented at IlluminAsia.

Freer|Sackler: Reopens

You’ve Never Tasted “Street Food” Like This Before

For its grand reopening, a hub of Asian-American culture serves up a culinary wonderland

Two celestial beings, China, Kucha, Kizil, Cave 224 or 205, 6th century CE

Freer|Sackler: Reopens

New Sackler Buddhist Exhibition Doubles the Immersive Experiences

Film of Sri Lankan site joins popular shrine room as part of three-year exhibition and we finally learn why one Buddha’s hair is blue

Young people of the U.S. Virgin Islands march along in a carnival parade, amid the destruction of Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

How Cultural Resilience Made a Difference After Hurricane Hugo And Could Help Again

When the 1989 hurricane devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands, Smithsonian folklorists were working on an upcoming Folklife Festival

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in concert, Toronto, Canada, 1995

Tom Petty, Standard-Bearer for Classic Rock, Dies at Age 66

In Smithsonian Rock and Roll: Live and Unseen, Bill Bentley remembers the singer-guitarist who forged a unique place in American rock

This 1966 portrait of Hugh Hefner will go on display today in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

Hugh Hefner’s Legacy as Told Through National Portrait Gallery Artifacts

Three objects explore the complicated and controversial life of the late founder of the Playboy empire

Having shown that it’s possible to identify whale species from baleen, Solazzo says, “Now we have a new tool to study those collections.”

The Innovative Spirit fy17

These Ancient Whale Baleen Artifacts Can Now Tell New Stories

How an innovative protein analysis technique helped solve a decades-old mystery

The 18-month restoration of Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington, the Lansdowne (above: the portrait before conservation treatment is on the left) is completed.

A Rainbow Shines Anew in National Portrait Gallery’s Iconic George Washington Portrait 

A glistening Lansdowne Portrait refresh harkens the reopening of “America’s Presidents”

“If ever one person was meant to have one profession, it was me and journalism," says Brokaw, "I just love the craft.”

Tom Brokaw’s Journey From Middle America to the World Stage

The history-making path of the former NBC Nightly News anchor is honored with a Smithsonian Lewis and Clark compass

Kim Gordon

The Summer of Yoko Ono Ends with Shrieks and Screams

A concert, a broken vase and unfettered adoration for the avant-guard artist marks the Hirshhorn’s finale to its appreciation

Once the track is formed with "people fences" on either side, crossing is strictly prohibited—they believe "cutting" it will upset the deities and lead to accidents during the race. Now with improved transportation in the region, more outsiders visit Dzongsar for the festival and often break this rule.

Check Out These Stunning Photographs of a Tibetan Horseback Sport

Kings in ancient Tibet promoted the sport to save money on military training

Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) right before the famous match in Battle of the Sexes.

The True Story Behind Billie Jean King’s Victorious “Battle of the Sexes”

Smithsonian sports curator Eric Jentsch offers a look at her legacy beyond the legendary match

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