Smithsonian can tell it. Featuring more than 150 prized objects
drawn from the breadth of the National Museum of American History’s
collections, Smithsonian Treasures of American History presents the “best of the best” in an engaging, easily accessible, illustrated format.
Highlights include: • Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine
The Star-Spangled Banner
The SMITHSONIAN’S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF A MERICAN H ISTORY dedicates its collections and scholarship to inspiring a broader understanding of our nation and its many peoples. The Museum creates learning opportunities, stimulates imaginations, and presents challenging ideas about our country’s past.
• The original manuscript of John Coltrane’s jazz masterpiece, A Love Supreme • The compass used by Lewis and Clark • An eighteenth-century Torah mantle brought to California during the Gold Rush • A baseball autographed by Babe Ruth • A radio microphone from FDR’s “fireside chats” • Television treasures, from the Lone Ranger’s mask to Mister Rogers’s sweater
American History
• The desk Thomas Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence
Smithsonian Treasures
A
fun and lively look at American history and culture as only the
Smithsonian
KATHLEEN M. KENDRICK is a curator at the National Museum of African American History and PETER C. LIEBHOLD is a curator at the National Museum of American History. They are co-curators of the Treasures of American History exhibit.
• A Bible quilt made by former slave Harriet Powers
HISTORY/United States/General
US $12.95 / $16.95 CAN ISBN 978-1-58834-583-7
Jacket design by Mumtaz Mustafa All cover photographs: National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
ËxHSLFSIy345837zv&:":#:^:;
$12.95
Smithsonian Treasures of American History The National Museum of American
Treasures
History—our country’s largest history museum and one of the Smithsonian’s most visited—preserves three million objects that capture the American story. From this vast collection, curators have handpicked more than 150 of the Museum’s most valued and amazing
American
treasures—from the hat Lincoln wore the night he was assassinated to Jacqueline Kennedy’s inaugural gown and Dorothy’s ruby slippers; from Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone to Edison’s light bulb and Albert Einstein’s pipe; from an early box
• Isaac Singer’s sewing machine patent model • Grant and Lee’s chairs from the Civil War surrender at Appomattox
USA
of Crayolas to one of the oldest pairs of Levi’s. Four separate sections devoted to
History
“Creativity and Innovation,” “American Biography,” “National Challenges,” and “American Identity” reveal fascinating juxtapositions and startling connections on every page. This visual cornucopia of the material culture of American history reveals the familiar, the famous, and the unexpected at every turn.
Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
TJ64-9-2006 IMUS 7/HRA0512 Smithsonian Trea Sures of American History W5.5”XH:8.5” 150L 115 M/A Magenta(D)
ii
3/10/06 9:57:33 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd ii
CX TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd iii
12/08/2015 12/30/2015
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 2
4/10/06 6:52:56 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 3
4/10/06 6:57:20 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 16
4/10/06 6:37:37 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 17
4/10/06 6:39:19 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 20
5/10/06 10:33:33 pm
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 21
5/10/06 10:38:51 pm
Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
TJ64-9-2006 IMUS 7/HRA0512 Smithsonian Trea Sures of American History W5.5”XH:8.5” 150L 115 M/A Magenta(D)
28
4/10/06 10:01:27
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 28
Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY
T
hrough its collections, the National Museum of American History preserves the stories of individuals who made
history. Drawn from the worlds of politics, business, science, sports, arts, and entertainment, these objects represent people
TJ64-9-2006 IMUS 7/HRA0512 Smithsonian Trea Sures of American History W5.5”XH:8.5” 150L 115 M/A Magenta(D)
whose experiences and achievements earned them a place in the national spotlight. Examined individually, the lives presented here reflect the circumstances of their times and provide a personal perspective on the past. Together, they comprise a fascinating and multifaceted portrait of American achievement.
Jacqueline Kennedy’s Gown, 1961 ade of silk chiffon and peau d’ange, this gown with matching cape was worn by Jacqueline Kennedy to her husband John F. Kennedy’s presidential inaugural ball. The first lady worked with Ethel Frankau of Bergdorf-Goodman to design the gown. A fashion trendsetter and cultural icon, “Jackie” brought a sense of youthful glamour and sophistication to life in the White House. After President Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, the dignity and courage she displayed in mourning for her husband set a calming example for a bereaved nation.
M
Opposite: Jacqueline Kennedy (1929–1994) Portrait by Richard Avedon (detail), 1961
29 TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 29
4/10/06 10:02:30
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 80
4/10/06 4:17:08 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 81
4/10/06 4:17:58 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 82
4/10/06 1:18:32 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 83
4/10/06 1:19:05 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 88
4/10/06 1:38:21 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 89
4/10/06 1:38:42 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 102
4/10/06 2:10:48 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 103
4/10/06 2:11:30 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 106
4/10/06 2:21:30 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 107
4/10/06 2:22:23 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 112
4/10/06 2:47:33 am
y
g
AMERICAN TELEVISION
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (Family Communications Inc.)
Mister Rogers’ Sweater, 1970s his red knit cardigan was worn by Fred Rogers, creator and host of the children’s program, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (PBS, 1968–2008). For more than 30 years, Rogers began each episode by changing into a sweater and tennis shoes and singing, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” An ordained Presbyterian minister, Rogers dedicated his television career to promoting children’s emotional and moral well-being. His show, with its friendly conversational style and trips to the “Neighborhood of Make-Believe,” encouraged young viewers to feel loved, respected, and special.
T
Carrie Bradshaw’s Laptop, 1998–2004 Sex and the City (HBO )
anhattan newspaper columnist Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, used this laptop to record her observations on modern relationships in the risqué comedy series Sex and the City (HBO, 1998–2004). Frank, witty, and often outrageous, the Emmy Award–winning cable show won millions of loyal fans with its depiction of four women friends and their romantic urban escapades. It also established cable TV as a competitive producer of original programming. Sex and the City set fashion trends, from Manolo Blahnik shoes to cosmopolitan cocktails, and provoked cultural debates about sex, relationships, and gender roles.
M
113
1 P i-120 113
9/28/07 11:31:37 AM
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 114
4/10/06 3:10:21 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 115
4/10/06 3:11:22 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 116
4/10/06 4:29:18 am
TRC655-9 Pi-120 150L CTP.indd 117
4/10/06 4:30:27 am