Smithsonian Voices

From the Smithsonian Museums

What Smithsonian Curators Will Be Doing at the Democratic National Convention

Three political history curators from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History are heading to the 2024 Democratic National Convention soon to collect stuff – or as the professionals call it, ephemera: everything from balloons to tickets to articles of clothing

2024 Republican National Convention signs

Highlights of What the Smithsonian Is Archiving From the Republican Convention

stage at the 2024 Republican National Convention

How Smithsonian Curators Visit Political Conventions to Explain the Present to the Future

Hand-stitched American flag

How This WWII Flag Fulfilled a General's Dying Wish

Three cards where visitors left handwritten messages invoking girl power. One card reads: “you think we're not good enough but we're just to [sic] good for you, girl power.”

What Does 'Girl Power' Really Mean?

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Soldiers in Fur Coats and 'Doggles'

DACA graduation robe

Reflecting on the Ten Year Anniversary of DACA

Poppies Washington Monument

Before Memorial Day, Learn the Language of Flowers

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Where Black and Indigenous History Come Together

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How Butterfly Wings Helped a New Collecting Initiative Take Flight

In a scene from the HBO series, Tulsa’s masked police force prepares for a raid. Detective Wade Tillman (known as “Looking Glass”) is played by Tim Blake Nelson. Detective Angela Abar (known as “Sister Night”) is played by Regina King (Mark Hill for HBO).

When Watchmen Were Klansmen