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Smithsonian Snapshot

A peek into our collections, one object at a time

Smithsonian Snapshot

What a Good Boy!
What kind of dog is this?!
Smithsonian Snapshot

Still Rolling Around
Even in the digital age, the Rolodex survives.
Smithsonian Snapshot

Beautiful Blue Morpho
What makes this butterfly blue?
Smithsonian Snapshot

Confirmation at Last of a Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way
Eight radio observatories across the planet formed a single “Earth-sized” virtual telescope to capture the image.
Smithsonian Snapshot

The Photographer Who Captured Humans and Animals in Motion
Muybridge’s groundbreaking photography captured the moment all of a horse’s hooves were off the ground at once.
Smithsonian Snapshot

The Coal Miner’s Daughter and a Canary Yellow Dress
Country music icon Loretta Lynn created her own look and sound.
Smithsonian Snapshot

Elizabeth Catlett Showcased Issues Through Her Art
Catlett’s sculptures show her long-standing interest in African American dignity, struggle, motherhood, and uplift.
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Fearless Journalist
Journalist and civil rights activist Ethel Payne was often known as the First Lady of the Black Press.
Smithsonian Snapshot

Her Moment in the Sun
Celebrated playwright and civil rights activist Lorraine Hansberry in her Greenwich Village apartment.
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Little Mouse Hygge
A pleasant scene from Beatrix Potter’s The Tailor of Gloucester.
Smithsonian Snapshot

Shedding Light on the Sun
In a historic event, Smithsonian scientists help probe the sun.
Smithsonian Snapshot

Taking Off With a Jet Pack
Imagining the future of flight.
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Nose the Better To Hear You With
The horseshoe bat has excellent echolocation.
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Vibrant Dreamscape
Carlos Almaraz is considered a pioneer of the Chicano art movement.
Smithsonian Snapshot

9/11 Cell Phone
This cell phone helped save a life.
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Whimsical, Thinking Pup
Possibly thinking about the Smithsonian’s birthday…?
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Game Takes Spaceflight
“Captain Video” was based on the first TV show to feature spaceflight.
Smithsonian Snapshot

Seeing Red
This jellyfish hides in plain sight.
Smithsonian Snapshot

A 19th-Century Cat Nap
People have enjoyed cute cat photos long before the advent of the internet.
Smithsonian Snapshot

X-wing Starfighter Stays on Target, Lands at the National Air and Space Museum
"Red Five Standing By!"
Smithsonian Snapshot

Harry the Hipster
Hey, cool cats, it's Jazz Appreciation Month!
Smithsonian Snapshot

Butterflies Are Free To Fly
These butterflies illustrate one of thousands of pages detailing natural history in Central America.
Smithsonian Snapshot

Writing Words in the Sky
For more than 20 years, Suzanne Asbury-Oliver was the only professional woman skywriter in the world.
Smithsonian Snapshot

Harvard, Smithsonian Astonomers Help Capture Magnetic Fields Close to a Black Hole
“Stay tuned for true black hole cinema.”

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