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Photography

This photo by Julius Shulman became a symbol of Los Angeles.

This Historic Mid-Century Modern Home Overlooking Los Angeles Is on the Market for the Very First Time

Buck and Carlotta Stahl built their home in the Hollywood Hills in 1960. Soon after the structure’s completion, it was captured in an era-defining photograph

The photograph is known as The Last Jew in Vinnitsa.

A Historian Has Finally Uncovered the Identity of the Nazi Gunman in a Haunting Holocaust Photograph

The 1941 image shows a Nazi soldier pointing a gun at the head of a man kneeling at the edge of a pit filled with bodies. With help from A.I., the gunman has been identified as 34-year-old Jakobus Onnen

Peeps Marshmallow Chicks cooling on a conveyor belt before packaging at Just Born Quality Confections (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), 2023

See Amazing Images That Reveal the Strange, Otherworldly Beauty Hidden in American Factories

Photographer Christopher Payne provides a peek into the surreal aesthetics of industry in the United States

Bonneville is one of the flattest natural runways on the planet, a surface so smooth and open that racers have been coming here for generations to see how far they can push the machines they build.

Rooted in the American West: Food, History and Culture

Meet the Daredevils Chasing Down Speed Records at the Bonneville Salt Flats

Race officials, tinkerers and competitors converge in Utah every fall to test both metal and mettle

Made with more than 2,000 hand-blown glass flowers, artist Dale Chihuly created Fiori di Como, this colorful ceiling of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. 

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

These 15 Gorgeous Photographs Capture the Beautiful Art of Blown and Stained Glass

From cathedrals to train stations to museums, these masterful displays showcase the remarkable talent that goes into creating the fragile art form

Some computer vision programs have been thrown off by tricks such as manipulating the pixels in an image.

Computers Are Getting Much Better at Image Recognition

The machine-learning programs that underpin their ability to “see” still have blind spots—but not for much longer

One of the finalists, titled "I Just Can't Wait to be King," captures lions appearing to sing.

See This Year’s Hilarious Finalists From the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards, From Gossiping Leopards to Breakdancing Foxes

The 40 shortlisted photographs pair talented nature photography with humorous captures that often rely on clicking the shutter at just the right moment

First-place winner: rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae) on a grain of rice

These Beautiful Microscope Photos Capture Tiny Pests, Spores, Sensory Neurons and Sunflower Hairs

Nikon has announced the winners of its 51st annual photomicrography competition

A close-up of a gum leaf skeletonizer caterpillar, also known as a "Mad Hatterpillar" because of its distinctive stacked head capsules, left behind with every molt. The photo won the invertebrate behavior category.

See 15 Wondrous Winning Images From the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards

The eye-catching wildlife photos highlight both the beauty and the harsh realities of nature

The European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter captured images of 3I/ATLAS on October 3.

A Rare Interstellar Comet Just Flew by Mars—Here Are the Photos Captured by an Orbiting Spacecraft

The images offer the closest view yet of comet 3I/ATLAS, famous for being only the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system

Projections of portraits and quotes grace the main concourse.

A Massive Art Installation by the ‘Humans of New York’ Creator Has Taken Over Grand Central Terminal

For two weeks, “Dear New York” will grace the train station’s walls, screens and ad space

The original dye transfer print for David Bowie's Aladdin Sane album cover, shot by Brian Duffy

The Iconic Cover of David Bowie’s ‘Aladdin Sane’ Could Become the Most Expensive Album Artwork Ever Sold

Shot by Brian Duffy in 1973, the famous lightning bolt print is estimated to break the record currently held by Led Zeppelin’s self-titled debut album

From left to right: Director Paul Thomas Anderson and actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio Del Toro on the set of One Battle After Another, a Warner Bros. Pictures release

Why Are Some of the World’s Best Directors Reviving This Special Film Format Created in the 1950s?

Paul Thomas Anderson utilized VistaVision to make his latest movie, “One Battle After Another,” which stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a bumbling, washed-up revolutionary trying to save his daughter

Nestled in Kyoto, Kiyomizu-dera is a historic Buddhist temple with a rich history spanning around 1,250 years.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

These 15 Gorgeous Photographs Illustrate the Ancient Beauty of Japan

From tranquil temples to the bright lights of Tokyo, look at images that capture the “Land of the Rising Sun”

Stephen Shore's parents on a corner in Rhinebeck, New York

Before Stephen Shore Became Famous, He Was a 12-Year-Old Photographer Capturing Stunning Scenes of 1960s New York

In his latest book, titled “Early Work,” the renowned photographer revisits the bold black-and-white images he took between 1960 and 1965

A Brandt's cormorant carries red grape algae and seagrass in La Jolla, California.

See 15 Breathtaking Bird Images From the 16th Annual Audubon Photography Awards

This year’s competition expanded to Chile and Colombia and introduced new prizes focused on migratory species, habitats and conservation

A matador and bull stand center stage as attendees look on during the San Fermín festival in Pamplona.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

See 15 Spectacular Photographs That Show Off Scenes From Spain

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest celebrate the Iberian nation

A close-up view of Man Ray's Le Violon d'Ingres

A Blockbuster Trove of Dada and Surrealist Masterpieces Arrives at the Met

Donated by a billionaire trustee, the Bluff Collection features key works by artists like Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp

As the sun rises over the horizon, the Castle of Rocca Calascio emerges from the peaks of the Abruzzo Apennines.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Explore 15 Captivating, Cool and Classic Castles

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest capture the grandeur of the historic fortresses

Adapted kitchen utensils on display at the V&A

From Fashion to Fidget Spinners, This London Exhibition Celebrates Disabled Design, Innovation and Joy

“Design and Disability” features 170 objects created by disabled artists, designers, photographers, inventors and more

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