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A Jules Verne Centennial- 1905 - 2005

A Jules Verne Centennial: 1905 - 2005


The Smithsonian Institution Libraries is fortunate to have a few early editions of Verne's works with the original engraved illustrations which made his works so popular.

An Odyssey in Print- Adventures in the Smithsonian Libraries

An Odyssey in Print: Adventures in the Smithsonian Libraries


Throughout time, explorers have drawn readers to faraway places through stories and songs, maps and drawings, manuscripts and books. Their intriguing accounts of the new and unknown have brought the world closer to those left at home. As you explore six centuries of rare books, manuscripts, art, and artifacts from the Smithsonian Institution, you'll learn how Smithsonian staff use these resources in their everyday work.

Frontier Photographer- Edward S. Curtis

Frontier Photographer: Edward S. Curtis


Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) left an indelible mark on the history of photography in his 20-volume life's work, The North American Indian.
Part photographic essay, part ethnographic survey, and part work of art, Curtis' North American Indian Project represented an attempt to capture images of American Indians as they lived before contact with Anglo cultures. The photogravure prints in The North American Indian reveal peoples whose traditional ways of life were coming to an end as the U.S. frontier began to fade.

Voyages- A Smithsonian Libraries Exhibition

Voyages: A Smithsonian Libraries Exhibition


Voyages of discovery can be of many kinds: a physical journey to an unknown place, a mental exploration of new or familiar territory, or a wholly new episode of creative thought. All three are explored in Voyages, an exhibition spanning five centuries of rare books, manuscripts, art, and artifacts from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries.

Drawing from Life- Caricatures and Cartoons from the American Art Portrait Gallery Collection

Drawing from Life: Caricatures and Cartoons from the American Art / Portrait Gallery Collection


The Smithsonian Institution Libraries has a substantial collection of cartoon and caricature books, including rare and special collections titles which date from 1800. Numbering over 600 volumes, this growing collection has a strong focus on works by American artists - the oldest dating to the Civil War period.

image of a three-masted ship sailing through icy seas

United States Exploring Expedition


BW photo of post man half sitting in US Mail cart

Parcel Post: Delivery of Dreams


The National Postal Museum Library has a rich collection of books concerning the history of parcel post in the United States. The establishment of parcel post in 1913 had a tremendously stimulating effect on the national economy; it opened a world of opportunities for both farmers and merchants alike.

Samuel P. Langley- Aviation Pioneer

Samuel P. Langley: Aviation Pioneer (Part 1)


Very few people today realize that Samuel P. Langley almost succeeded with inventing the airplane before the Wright brothers. Who was Langley and what did he do?

red orange and yellow flowers surround a small aerial photo of a farm and the words 1898 Burpee's farm annual

Seed and Nursery Catalogs


The Making of a Homemaker

The Making of a Homemaker


Sustaining a home and healthy family was a full time job for middle class women in late nineteenth century America. Cooking, cleaning, and child rearing were seen as women's work. To some, "Comfort for her family is provided even at the expense of many an exhausted nerve, and an aching heart". How did they handle the daunting work without the aid of microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners and carpools? Wealthier women might rely on servants while other matrons bore the brunt of work themselves. However, to almost all, a comprehensive domestic guidebook could be indispensable.

The Art of African Exploration

The Art of African Exploration


The Art of African Exploration presents a selection of drawings, book illustrations, and other objects from the The Russell E. Train Africana Collection in the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History. The compelling images that emerged from the early European exploration of Africa tell the story of Africa as it was first seen by Western eyes, and the impact it had on a fascinated public.

Ramelli's Machines- Original drawings of 16th century machines

Ramelli's Machines: Original drawings of 16th century machines


The military engineer Agostino Ramelli produced a remarkable illustrated book in 1588 describing a large number of machines that he devised. Called Le diverse et artificiose machine del Capitano Agostino Ramelli (The various and ingenious machines of Captain Agostino Ramelli), this work had a great impact in the field of mechanical engineering. The book contains 195 superb engravings of various machines along with detailed descriptions of each one in both French and Italian. The Dibner Library has original drawings of seven of the machines and this web site has been developed to further research on these artworks.

Nile Notes of a Howadji- American Travelers in Egypt, 1837 - 1903

Nile Notes of a Howadji: American Travelers in Egypt, 1837 - 1903


Travel literature is an increasingly popular research tool for anthropologists, natural scientists, and social historians, as well as an informative and entertaining subject for the armchair traveler. The works displayed here focus on the American travel experience in Egypt, a popular destination for travelers from the time of Herodotus (ca. 420 B.C.). American travel accounts displayed a brashness and a paradoxical tendency to praise Egypt for being a fresh new travel destination while criticizing it for not being enough like home.

Your Smithsonian Libraries

Your Smithsonian Libraries


Did you know the Smithsonian has a library? Actually, the Smithsonian has 20 libraries combined into one system and supported by an online catalog of the combined collections of: Over 1.5 million books, 50,000 rare books, 10,000 historic manuscript and over 2,000 electronic journal titles

From Horses to Horsepower- Studebaker Helped Move a Nation

From Horses to Horsepower: Studebaker Helped Move a Nation


Studebaker's long standing commitment to quality and value made it one of the automotive giants prior to the Great Depression, often being among the first manufacturers to introduce new technology or safety features, such as four-wheel hydraulic brakes in 1925. Barely surviving the 1930s, Studebaker resumed its innovative heritage with some of the first new designs to follow World War II. Postwar Studebaker automobiles, largely due to their association with Raymond Loewy, are still considered to be classics of modern industrial design.

The Illustrations of the Nests and Eggs of Birds of Ohio

The Illustrations of the Nests and Eggs of Birds of Ohio


llustrations of the nests and eggs of birds of Ohio was published in the small town of Circleville, Ohio, over a period of eight years (from 1879 to 1886) through the dedicated efforts of the family and friends of a young woman named Genevieve Jones. Despite being produced not just by amateurs but largely by women, far from the publishing houses and intellectual centers of 19th-century America, the book was hailed as an extraordinary achievement from the moment its first few plates were published.

photo of men in old fashioned flying gear sitting in and loading a two-person prop plane

By Aeroplane to Pygmyland


Incunabula in the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology

Incunabula in the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology


Taking to the Skies- The Wright Brothers & the Birth of Aviation

Taking to the Skies: The Wright Brothers & the Birth of Aviation


On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers were the first men in history to make powered, sustained and controlled flights in an airplane. The machine, engine and propellers were all of their own design and construction. It was bitterly cold that morning and a gusty 27 mile-per-hour wind scoured the sand dunes.

Celebrity Caricature- Selections from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Celebrity Caricature: Selections from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries


In the late 1990's the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery Library (AA/PG Library) made a special effort to collect materials on caricature and cartoon in conjunction with the National Portrait Gallery's 1998 exhibition "Celebrity Caricature in America", curated by Wendy Wick Reaves.

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