Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives

Explore a select group of citations and images from the History of the Smithsonian Catalog maintained by the Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives pertaining to African Americans and the history of the Smithsonian Institution.

 

African Americans Highlights -- Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives

History of the Smithsonian
Catalog Highlights


From the Bibliography Database

Anacostia Museum

Solomon G. Brown

John R. Kinard


From the Chronology Database

Exhibit Openings


From the Legal Documents Database

Museums--Law and Legislation


From the Historic Images Database

Employees


From the Board of Regents Database

Smithsonian Institution Regents

 

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Historic Images Highlights


Photo citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 35, Folder 19, Neg#  MAH-16831
Easter Monday at the National Zoo, 1900s

The annual Easter Egg Roll on Easter Monday at the National Zoological Park. At the top of the hill, the original 1891 Animal House, also known as the Lion House, designed by William R. Emerson is visible. By the turn of the century the National Zoological Park had become a popular spot to spend Easter Monday. Crowds spent the day seeing the animals, picnicking, and enjoying the Annual Easter Egg Roll on Lion and Tiger Hill, shown here. The zoo officials called Easter Tuesday "The Cleanup Day."

Muhammad Ali's Visit to the National Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History)

Visit of Muhammad Ali to the National Museum of History and Technology, now the National Museum of American History, March 17, 1976, when he donated a pair of gloves and a robe to the museum for the "Nations of Nations" exhibition.

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 371, Box 4, Folder: June 1985, Negative#  95-1195
New Orleans' Performers for Folklife Festival, 1985

Chief Charles Taylor from New Orleans leads daily parades at the 1985 Folklife Festival. Taylor belongs to the White Cloud Hunter tribe, a group of black men who dress for Mardi Gras in resplendently stylized garb of Indian warriors.

Other Resources


The History of the Smithsonian catalog searches across five databases documenting the history of the Smithsonian: Smithsonian History Bibliography, Smithsonian History Chronology, Smithsonian Legal Documents, Historic Images of the Smithsonian, and Smithsonian Board of Regents. Results can be limited to a single database or sorted by database.

 

Photo citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives Record Unit 95 Box 28 Folder 33, Negative 2003-19540 (Cropped from original image)

Solomon G. Brown, First African American Employee at the Smithsonian (From the Smithsonian Scrapbook Online Exhibit)

Solomon G. Brown (c. 1829-1906) was the first African American employee at the Smithsonian Institution. He joined the staff of the Smithsonian in 1852 and remained in continuous service to the Institution until he retired in 1906, after 54 years.

The Institutional History Division is dedicated to advancing the knowledge and understanding of the history of the Smithsonian Institution. Division staff conduct research and prepare reports, scholarly and popular publications, databases, website resources, documentary editions, and exhibits on the history of the Institution, its legal history, and its role in American museums and intellectual and social history.