Smithsonian

12/01/2023

Today we reflect on the life and legacy of Sandra Day O’Connor, who was the first woman to become a Supreme Court Justice.

She was appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1981 and unanimously confirmed by the Senate. After serving nearly twenty-five years, she retired in 2006.

“As society sees what women can do, as women see what women can do, there will be more women out there doing things, and we’ll all be better off for it,” she observed in 1990.

O’Connor grew up working cattle on her family’s Lazy B Ranch near Duncan, Arizona. She graduated near the top of her class at Stanford before serving in the Arizona State Senate (1969-74).

In 1972, she was elected as majority leader, making her the first woman in the U.S. to hold the top position in a state legislature. While on the nation’s highest court, O’Connor developed a reputation as a pragmatic, swing vote, preferring to making her judgements on a case-by-case basis.

In 2013, the National Portrait Gallery acquired “The Four Justices” portrait. O’Connor sat in the portrait alongside the other women in the Supreme Court: Elena Sagan, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor.

To celebrate this portrait’s arrival, video journalist Jan Smith sat down with each of the four justices and asked them to tell their own story. You can watch the full video about Justice O’Connor here: https://bit.ly/3Tov6nx

🖼️ : "Sandra Day O'Connor" by Jean Marcellino, 2006. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © 2008, Jean Marcellino

National Portrait Gallery USA
Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum

12/01/2023

Say it with me, “it’s finally ‘sweata weatha!’”

Massachusetts born artist Loïs Mailou Jones’ career spanned nearly 70 years. Her legacy not only encompasses her work in fine art, but also as an advocate for Black artists and as an educator at Howard University.

This watercolor, “Young Man in Red Sweater,” is in the collection of our Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery.

🖼️: Loïs Mailou Jones, “Young Man in Red Sweater,” n.d., watercolor on paper, 24 x 19 in. (61.0 x 48.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of the artist, 2006.24.16

11/30/2023

Diplomat Henry Kissinger has died at age 100. His counsel guided the divisive and often consequential decisions of several presidents throughout a decades-long career in foreign policy that will influence U.S. and global communities for generations to come.

Photographer Fred Maroon had worked in fashion, architecture, landscapes, and photojournalism before proposing a book on the presidency of Richard Nixon. After the publication of "Courage and Hesitation," Maroon was invited to photograph Nixon's reelection campaign and he kept snapping photos as the Watergate controversy unfolded. Recording history as it was made, Maroon captured this photo of Kissinger in conversation with Nixon, framed by a White House door in February 1971.

This photo is in the collection of our National Museum of American History. Copyright Fred J. Maroon.

11/29/2023

“Oh yeah, I’ll tell you somethin’ I think you’ll understand...”

Sixty years ago today, the Beatles released “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in the United Kingdom. It would be released in the United States a month later.

Not only did this song chart at number one on its release day in the UK, but it was also their first hit in the States, reaching the coveted number one spot within weeks of release.

The record’s B-side was “I Saw Her Standing There” in the U.S. While this song never reached number one, it maintained a spot on the U.S. charts for 11 weeks.

Are the Beatles on your Spotify Wrapped?

This record is currently in the collection of our National Museum of American History.

11/28/2023

There’s still time to bring the joy of knowledge and discovery to people around the world – and enjoy amazing benefits at a discounted rate! Become a Friends of the Smithsonian member for to receive a subscription to Smithsonian magazine, shopping and dining discounts, invitations to members-only events, and more » https://bit.ly/3sjf5Ed

11/27/2023

“I wish that I could be like the cool kids, ‘cuz all the cool kids they seem to fit in.”

Did you want to be a cool kid in 2007? One of the ways to impress your friends was getting your hands on the newest cellphone. This blue Motorola “Razor” was used by Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson and is now in our National Museum of American History.

11/26/2023

Before the Muppets we know today, there was the raucous and sometimes explosive “Sam and Friends.”

Conserving the history of Jim Henson's Muppets.

11/24/2023

Celebrate Native American Heritage Day at one of our Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian locations!

While they may share many similarities, such as entry rotundas and amazing exhibits, they are also very different. Our New York location opened in 1994 and is based in the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, built in the early 1900s. Our D.C. location opened on the National Mall 10 years later. Fun fact: it has almost no sharp corners.

Video Description: Opening text "Did you know there are two locations for our National Museum of the American Indian?" A clip of the New York Subway introduces a series of clips from inside the New York location, including the entry way, art, and exhibit titles. A clip of the DC Metro introduces the DC location, including the entry way, totem pole, and a pan of the Americans exhibit. End text, "Which museum do you want to explore?"

11/23/2023

Dinner’s ready!

On tonight’s menu we have the always appetizing combination of beef and vegetables in a tube.

In 1962, this space food package was sent out of this world with astronaut John Glenn during his Friendship 7 orbit of the Earth. To indulge in this meal, squeeze directly into mouth. Yum? This beef and veg combo is in the collection of our National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution .

What on-the-go food is your favorite?

11/22/2023

Time to get out your fancy plate for the big meal! Our National Museum of American History is home to the White House place settings of presidential dinners past. This charger, or serving plate, was in the White House of Mamie and President Dwight D. Eisenhower. A charger is a flat plate used in formal dinner settings as a base for the other flatware and to catch food that may have fallen, keeping the table clean.

Learn more about our First Ladies Collection here: https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/first-ladies

11/21/2023

It’s “chews” day!

This countertop display for Wrigley’s Doublemint chewing gum would have been seen in shops across the country in the late 1940s. While Wrigley’s began making chewing gum in the 1890s, this flavor of chewing gum hit the shelves in 1914. Today, the Doublemint flavor is available in 140 countries.

What's your favorite flavor of chewing gum?

📷 : In the collection of our National Museum of American History

11/20/2023

We have some movies to add to your must-watch list.

Our Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian annual “Native Cinema Showcase” celebrates the best in Native film and it’s all available to stream now through Friday, November 24! From three-minute shorts to full length features, this year’s films represent 22 nations in six countries: U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Colombia.
https://americanindian.si.edu/native-cinema-showcase-2023/

All films are free to watch and are available for streaming, worldwide and on demand, with the exception of “The Legend of Molly Johnson,” “Powerlands” and “We Are Still Here,” which are limited to viewing in the United States.

This program is funded in part by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.

11/20/2023

If you were a pie, which would you be? Find your pie personality in our collections: s.si.edu/46l3ty8 🥧

Shown here, a pie server by Meriden Silver Plate Company from the collection of our Cooper Hewitt

11/19/2023

Today we remember Rosalynn Carter, First Lady from 1977-1981. She campaigned for her husband Jimmy Carter and, in the White House, brought national attention to the performing arts and improving mental health. She also served as the President’s personal emissary to Latin American countries.

In this July 1978 photo, she’s visiting the National Museum of American History, then known as the National Museum of History and Technology, to donate her gold-trimmed blue chiffon inaugural gown to the collection. She’d first worn the dress to her husband’s inaugural ball as governor of Georgia—and repeated the outfit. She is pictured here with Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley and political history curator Margaret Klapthor.

This photo is in the collection of our Smithsonian Institution Archives.

11/18/2023

🍂 Autumnal vibes from our Smithsonian Gardens.

11/17/2023

We heard the queen of country music just dropped a rock 'n roll album. 👀

This photo of Dolly Parton is the back cover of the "Heartbreaker" album songbook. The book features photos of the singer alongside the music and lyrics from Heartbreaker, her 20th solo studio album released in 1978 that included hits like “Heartbreaker,” “I Really Got the Feeling,” and “Baby I’m Burnin.”

Parton found early success partnering with country singer Porter Wagoner. The two became a popular duo on "The Porter Wagoner Show" in the 1960s. She went on to achieve international success as a singer, songwriter, actor and businesswoman. With 11 Grammy awards (so far), Parton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

This songbook is in our National Museum of American History collections. Credit: Columbia Pictures Publications, 1979.

11/16/2023

When the Milky Way galaxy meets a cello, violin, flute, and other instruments, what happens? Take a listen.

Working with composer Sophie Kastner, actual data from NASA telescopes was used as the basis for original music that can be played by humans.

Data from NASA’s Chandra, Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes are part of the Milky Way galaxy sonification.

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory manages Chandra X-ray Observatory's day-to-day operations. Sheet music and more are available at chandra.si.edu .

🌌 🌌 🌌
Title: Where Parallel Lines Converge

Composition: NASA/CXC/SAO/Sophie Kastner:

Data: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/STScI; IR: Spitzer NASA/JPL-Caltech;

Sonification: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida);

Performance: Ensemble Éclat

11/16/2023

Please enjoy some artistic interpretations of songbirds and snakes. We were utterly unprepared for that last one.

🐍: “Coiled Rattlesnake” by William B. Kerr & Company, 1890. Cooper Hewitt

🍁: “Two crested birds on a branch; autumn leaves,” formerly attributed to Zhao Boju, 18th century. Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

🌳: “Root Rattlesnake” by Unidentified, 1930. Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery

🐦: “Chuck-Wills Widow, Caprimulgus carolinensis. Brifs., Male. 1, Female. 2, Harlequin Snake” by Robert Havell, Jr., 1829. National Museum of American History

📕: “Literary Bird” by Max Rosenthal of American writer Cornelius Mathews, 1851. National Portrait Gallery USA

11/15/2023

Jim Thorpe (Sac and Fox [Sauk]) is one of the greatest American athletes. Thorpe not only played but excelled in multiple sports throughout his amateur and professional career.

In 1912, Thorpe represented the United States at Olympic Games in Stockholm, winning gold for both the pentathlon and decathlon. However, those medals were stripped from him after it was learned he was paid to play baseball for a summer before competing in the Olympics. While he was posthumously recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1983, it was not until 2022 that he was restored as sole champion of his events.

Thorpe played both professional baseball and football for teams such as the New York Giants, which at the time was a baseball team, and the Canton Bulldogs, one of the original teams to form the American Professional Football Association.

Our Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is home to the Grace Thorpe Collection, which includes materials on the fight to reinstate Jim Thorpe's medals.

📸 : “Jim Thorpe” by Underwood & Underwood, 1913. Collection of our National Portrait Gallery USA

11/15/2023

In 1865, Congress created an agency designed to provide aid to people building new lives after slavery. Known as the Freedmen's Bureau, it operated in 15 states throughout the South, helping African Americans and others to secure what they needed to live as free citizens.

Today, these records provide many people a glimpse into family history. Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III shares his own family story—and the importance of exploring American history—in the Atlantic. https://bit.ly/3R0njug

This piece of correspondence from the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (the full name of the bureau) is in the collection of our Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

11/14/2023

Each of the five days of celebrates a different legend of good triumphing over evil.

This large-scale painting on cloth (also known as Picchwai) from Nathdwara in northern India depicts Annakut, a holiday that draws the community together in gratitude to the Hindu deity Krishna. For some calendars, this joyous occasion of generosity and abundance marks a new year at the harvest.P
When the god Indra caused a devastating storm, Krishna lifted up Mount Govardhan to shelter his community. For Annakut, each community gathers to offer a mountain of fresh rice and sweet treats to Krishna ShriNathji.

In this painting, Krishna ShriNathji, or Krishna as a young boy, is in the center holding up his hand in refuge. Afterwards, food offerings return to the community as blessings, Prasad, and everyone partakes of his grace! https://s.si.edu/3Gcx3M1

Image: Nathadwara, Rajasthan state, India, Late 19th Cen., Opaque Watercolor on Cotton, 188.9 x 177.8 cm, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Karl B. Mann, S1992.36

Within a shrine that resembles a grand house stands a resplendent ShriNathji in silver with garlands of flowers. He is surrounded by seven other forms of Krishna. On either side of the shrine stand priests, one holding an aarti flame in blessing. Devotees wearing opulent textiles gather before the shrine. A mountain of food fills the foreground: rice decorated with dried fruits, baskets presenting the textures of chappan bhog, fifty-six distinct food offerings collectively offered by the community. A border has vignettes of ShriNathji celebrated throughout the year, below, decorated cows frolic as part of the Annakut celebration.

11/10/2023

Native Americans have served in the U.S. Armed Forces in extraordinary numbers since the American Revolution. On Veterans Day 2020, our Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian opened the National Native American Veterans Memorial. It is the first national memorial honoring the enduring and distinguished service of Native Americans in every branch of the U.S. military.

The memorial, designed by veteran Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma), features an elevated stainless-steel circle balanced on an intricately carved stone drum. It incorporates water for ceremonies, and lances where veterans, family members, tribal leaders and others can tie cloths for prayers and healing.

The memorial was formally dedicated with a procession of more than 1,500 Native Veterans representing more than 120 Native nations and countless supporters on Veterans Day in 2022. Pictured in the procession is a group from the Women Warriors Association.

Photos by Matailong Du and Alan Karchmer for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.

11/08/2023

In their custom travel crates, giant pandas Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and Xiao Qi Ji embark on their journey from Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute to Chengdu, China, along with 220 pounds of bamboo snacks for the journey. Follow their trip: https://s.si.edu/3u8RtTh

11/07/2023

Good morning, America! New book alert. “Smithsonian Asian Pacific American History, Art, and Culture in 101 Objects” is available today from Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and Smithsonian Books.

One of the 101 objects featured in the book is Nam June Paik’s “Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii,” currently on view at our Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery. Look closely at each state and you’ll see video clips of pop-culture moments Paik felt represented his understanding of the state.

A clip of “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) represents Kansas while Washington state contains a video of modern dancer Merce Cunningham.

What images would you use to represent your favorite state?

Nam June Paik, “Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii,” 1995, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2002.23, © Nam June Paik Estate

11/06/2023

Can someone please tell us the time? We’re a little all over the place this morning!

Check out some of the unique clocks in the collection of our Cooper Hewitt.
Which one is your favorite?
🕐 🕙 🕥
Clock 1: “Askew” designed by M&Co, 1998.

Clock 2: “Clock (France),” designed by Antoine-Andre Ravrio, n.d.

Clock 3: “Asterisk Wall Clock, Model 2213 Clock” designed by George Nelson, 1953.

Clock 4: “Zephyr” designed by George F. Adomatis and Ferher, 1938.

Clock 5: “Cifra 3” designed by Gino Valle and Massimo Vignelli, 1965.

11/03/2023

An asteroid hit our Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Sort of.

11/02/2023

✨ “Who’s that wonderful girl? Could she be any cuter?” ✨

This 1830’s lithograph print, “Short & Sweet” depicts a little girl stretching up to reach a piece of hanging fruit. In the Victorian era, prints like this were created to depict a romantic view of domestic life. Children were often seen in nature, caring for pets, or learning about the world around them. Because they were mass produced and widely distributed, these prints also inspired a generation of artists to create their own pictures.

🖼️ : Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection. Collection of our National Museum of American History.

11/01/2023

or Día de Mu***os is a celebration of life, not death. During this celebration, some women dress as “La Calavera Catrina,” donning skull-inspired makeup and elaborate skirts and hats. In this photo, a dancer performs as La Catrina at our National Portrait Gallery USA 's annual Día de Mu***os event. Some families commemorate their ancestors by creating ofrendas (altars) featuring photos of loved ones, sugar skulls, marigolds, candles, and other symbols, which welcome the return of the spirits of the dearly departed.

Photos: © Matailong Du

11/01/2023

New York City's famous skyline wouldn't be what it is today without Indigenous ironworkers.

The first picture features the hard hat worn by ironworker Paul Tripp (Six Nations Mohawk). The decals show his pride in his Native community and his union, Local 40.

The second picture depicts early 1970s workers on the job. Featured in this picture are Mohawk ironworkers Jimmy Connors, center with light shirt, and Leonard Montour, dark shirt leaning forward. They are on the construction site at 450 Park Avenue, now a 33-story skyscraper.

Native American and First Nations ironworkers continue the six-generation tradition of building Manhattan’s famous skyscrapers.

Join us in celebrating Native American Heritage Month all November.

You can see this hardhat in “Native New York” at our Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian New York City museum.

🔨 : Hard hat, ca. 2000 HN120

📷: “Mohawk ironworkers including Jimmy Connors and Leornard Montour,” by David Grant Noble, 1970-1971. Collection of our Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.

10/31/2023

You’ve waited all year for Halloween and it’s finally here.

This photographic print from 1906 is part of our Smithsonian Gardens J. Horace McFarland Collection, which includes more than 3,100 photographic images of gardens throughout the United States.

McFarland was an American businessman, writer, horticulturalist and photographer. He was a well-known advocate for environmental preservation and the beautification of American cities. McFarland believed that photography could enhance education and civic good, and embraced photography as a way to connect with the environment.

📷: “Jack-o-lantern,” 1906, Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, J. Horace McFarland Company Collection

10/30/2023

On this , we’re calling on all theatre kids to post a picture of their favorite playbill.

Our “Wicked” playbill is from the January 13, 2004 performance in New York City and is in the collection of our National Museum of American History. The cover contains written annotations that add context to this performance, such as noting it was a “cold night.” Swipe to learn more about the show.

“Wicked” is currently celebrating 20 years on Broadway, "defying gravity” as the fourth longest-running show in Broadway history. "Wicked" looks at the story of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” through the lens of the witches. Originally a book by Gregory Maguire, the musical was brought to life on stage by composer and lyricist Stephan Schwartz and writer Winnie Holzman.

10/28/2023

How does this 🖼️ turn into this ✉️ ?

The “First World Series” postage stamp features an oil painting by Carl T. Herrman, an art director for the U.S. Postal Service for more than 15 years. Herrman designed more than 50 stamps and directed more than 400 stamp issues. This postage stamp was issued in 1998 and depicts what is considered to be the first World Series in 1903. In this best of nine baseball game series, the American League champions, the Boston Americans, beat the National League champions, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Since 1939, the United States has issued more than 60 postage stamps commemorating baseball's role in American history and culture.

Celebrate the Century was a series of 150 U.S. postage stamps issued between 1998 and 2000. Each decade of the 20th century was represented by a sheet of 15 stamps featuring major events that influenced American history, art or culture.

Seven baseball moments were highlighted across six decades, ranging from the first World Series in 1903, pictured here, to setting new baseball records in the 1990s.

Smithsonian National Postal Museum
🖼️: Loan from United States Postal Service, Postmaster General’s Collection
✉️: © United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.

10/27/2023

📞 What’s your favorite scary movie?

In 1997, the U.S. Postal Service issued five classic movie monster commemorative stamps. The stamps feature five legendary movie monsters and pay tribute to the actors who portrayed them. The series was the result of a fortunate coincidence—as the Postal Service began to develop the idea of monster stamps, the adult children of three classic movie-monster actors began campaigning to commemorate their fathers on stamps. The two paths converged, resulting in five of the spookiest stamps of the 1990s.

Featured in the series were:
🦇 Bela Lugosi as Dracula
🤕 Boris Karloff as The Mummy
🎭 Lon Chaney as The Phantom of the Opera
🐺 Lon Chaney Jr. (yes, the son of Lon Chaney) as The Wolf Man
🧟 Boris Karloff (again!) as Frankenstein’s Monster

These stamps are in the collection of our National Postal Museum.
Credit: United States Postal Service

10/26/2023

Artist Yayoi Kusama loves pumpkins. Her squash-based designs, covered in her signature polka dots, have become some of her best-known works.

Kusama’s “Pumpkin” stands nearly eight feet tall outside of our Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden building in Washington, D.C.

10/24/2023

“The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical ‘Wonderful Wizard of Oz’” is a retelling of L. Frank Baum’s novel, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” First performed on Broadway in 1975, the musical went on to win seven Tony Awards, including Best Costume Design.

Forty-five years ago, the musical hit the big screen, featuring Diana Ross as Dorothy Gale and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow.

Tony Award winning actor Andre DeShields wore this costume, designed by Geoffrey Holder, as the title character of “The Wiz” on Broadway.
💚 💚 💚
This costume is currently in the collection of our Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane.

10/23/2023

Wake up sleepy-head! It’s Bat Week!

Did you know bats exhibit social behaviors similar to humans? Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute post-doctoral fellow Mariana Muñoz-Romo observed surprising footage of bats while labs were closed during the height of the pandemic, revealing complex interpersonal relationships within groups. Full details of the complicated social lives of these bats are being published soon. Featured in this film are bats doing what we all do at the end of a satisfying midday nap, yawning and taking a stretch.

“A lot of work is still waiting for us as we begin to understand bats’ fascinating private lives,” said Muñoz-Romo.
“Despite the hard work of watching hundreds of hours of recordings, devoting myself to this task is simply captivating.”

10/20/2023

Flip your phone around for optimal cuteness. 😍 😍

Today is , and to celebrate, we’re taking you to our Punta Culebra Nature Center / Centro Natural Punta Culebra in Panama, part of our Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute This little guy is a Choloepus hoffmanni, or a Hoffman two-toed sloth. About 10 to 15 Hoffman two-toed sloths live around the nature center and are often spotted by guides and visitors.

Hoffman two-toed sloths are nocturnal and can be found among the trees of mature forests and rainforests? While they may be slow movers, they’re far from lazy. Hoffman two-toed sloths have adapted to survive on a low-energy diet consisting of leaves and other plants such as flowers and tender twigs.

10/18/2023

Parades, dances, the “big game.” What’s your favorite homecoming memory?

Rev. Henry Clay Anderson was a photographer who captured the everyday life of Black Americans in the middle-class African American community of Greenville, Mississippi. These three photographs taken by Anderson depict teenage life from 1948 to the 1970s.

Our Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is home to more than 5,000 images taken by Anderson in the mid-20th century South, capturing everything from weddings to funerals and much of life in-between.

🎉: “Outdoor Photo of a Girl Standing Holding a Baton, Coleman High School”

💃 🕺: “Indoor Portrait of a Boy and Girl Dancing at Coleman High School”

🏈: “Outdoor Photo of Two Boys Sitting on a Bench, Vocational School Football”

10/17/2023

One artist, two museum collections. We’re celebrating the reopening of National Museum of Women in the Arts on Oct. 21 by highlighting artworks by painter and mixed media artist Hung Liu.

Born in China, Liu moved to the U.S. in the 1980s where she established her career as both an artist and educator. During a trip back to China in the early 1990s, Liu became fascinated with turn of the 20th century commercial-studio photographs she happened upon. Those photographs inspired a new era of her work, and she began to incorporate these characters into her paintings.

In the first image is Liu’s “Winter with Cynical Fish” from National Museum of Women in the Arts, which is part of a series of paintings that each represent one of the four seasons. The fish in “Winter” shows Liu’s reference to satirical imagery from paintings by Bada Shanren, the famous Chinese artist and calligrapher.

In the second image is Liu's “The Ocean is the Dragon’s World” from Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery, depicting Dowager Empress Cixi, known to be a powerful and fierce leader, based on early 1900s photos. Liu’s interpretation emphasizes the opulence of material goods to symbolize her power, but also includes a birdcage to represent that she, “was still in the cage, no matter how powerful a woman she was.”
---
❄️ Artwork credit: Hung Liu, Winter with Cynical Fish, 2014; © 2023 Hung Liu Estate/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

🐉 Artwork credit: Hung Liu, “The Ocean is the Dragon's World,” 1995, oil on canvas, painted wood panel, metal support rod, and metal bird cage with wood and ceramic appendages, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in part through the Lichtenberg Family Foundation, 1996.34A-D

10/16/2023

“Poor Unfortunate Souuuls” 🎶

Today in 1923, the Walt Disney Company, then Disney Brothers Studio, was founded by Walt and Roy Disney.

One Hundred years later, the studio has produced or co-produced well over 500 feature films, including “The Little Mermaid” (1989). This clay maquette, or scale model, was used for the character Ursula, voiced by Pat Carroll. A maquette serves as a character reference for animators to work from when creating their characters to ensure consistency in design and movement.

Who is your favorite Disney villain?

🐙From our National Museum of American History, Gift of Walt Disney Animation Research Library (through Lella F. Smith)