Smithsonian Snapshot

Dorothy Liebes had a big impact on 20th-century design.

Walcott was a botanist, glacial geologist, and artist—and had ties to the Smithsonian.

"Live long and prosper."—Mr. Spock

What species of extinct mammal did this molar belong to?

This mid-century space oddity allowed visitors to phone home.

These relics commemorate the bloodiest single battle on American soil.

Bob Newhart has had an award-winning, six decade-long career as a stand-up comedian and film and television actor.

The Harlem Hellfighters fought with ferocity and gallantry and are honored in Bisa Butler’s artwork.

Part painting, part sculpture, the resulting art form is unique and often quite astonishing in its detail and precision.

This artwork brings illumination to the problem of light pollution.

Lamarr’s invention contributed to communications technologies used today, such as Wi-Fi and GPS.

Family historians and genealogists can search for their ancestors; scholars can research topics related to slavery and the era of Reconstruction.

From Hollywood to the home front.

Thorpe was a World War II veteran and advocate for Native American rights.

What kind of dog is this?!

Even in the digital age, the Rolodex survives.

What makes this butterfly blue?

Eight radio observatories across the planet formed a single “Earth-sized” virtual telescope to capture the image.

Muybridge’s groundbreaking photography captured the moment all of a horse’s hooves were off the ground at once.

Country music icon Loretta Lynn created her own look and sound.

Catlett’s sculptures show her long-standing interest in African American dignity, struggle, motherhood, and uplift.

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

Celebrated playwright and civil rights activist Lorraine Hansberry in her Greenwich Village apartment.

A pleasant scene from Beatrix Potter’s The Tailor of Gloucester.