Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Heralds of Science

Selected rare and significant publications are among the major scientific documents and instruments on view.

April 21, 1980 – June 6, 1980

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth: Motion Engineers

Highlighted is a chronocyclegraph, a device invented by the Gilbreths to study the hand and arm motions of industrial workers.

March 6, 1980 – April 30, 1980

American History Museum

Einstein: A Centenary Exhibition

This comprehensive exhibition explores Einstein the man and thinker.

March 3, 1979 – April 8, 1980

American History Museum

10th Anniversary of Apollo 11

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first landing of astronauts on the moon with videotape, photographs, and items from the mission.

Late 1979 – March 31, 1980

Air and Space Museum

Elmer Vernon Mccollum

This exhibition features the discoverer of Vitamins A and D is featured and includes photographs, lab equipment, a model of Vitamin A, and other memorabilia.

January 1, 1980 – January 31, 1980

American History Museum

David Pawson: Study of Deep Sea Echinoderms

This Research in Natural History case features photographs of fauna observed by the curator of Invertebrate Zoology during deep sea dives.

October 1, 1979 – January 30, 1980

Natural History Museum

John Paul Remensnyder Collection of American Stoneware

Approximately 150 selections from the collection trace the history of stoneware made in mid-Atlantic and northeastern U.S. pottery mills from the first half of the 18th century through 19th century industrialization.

November 18, 1978 – November 30, 1979

American History Museum

Make the Dirt Fly: Construction of the Panama Canal

Visit photographs, maps, and artifacts related to the construction of the Panama Canal.

September 18, 1979 – October 31, 1979

American History Museum

Loose the Mighty Power: Impressions of the Steam Engine in America

See 130 graphic representations -- engineering drawings, design sketches, blue prints, lithographs, etchings, advertising literature and decorative of professional motifs on textiles and ceramics that reflect the involvement of Americans with the steam engine. Also see 12 models of various types of steam engine, including the Centennial Corliss. Catalogue

November 3, 1978 – September 30, 1979

American History Museum

An Eye and an Instinct for Tools: Selections from the John R. Gerwig, Jr. Collection

See 35 tools used by carpenters, masons and other craftsmen in 19th century home building trades. They are selected from the recently acquired collection of 1200 18th and 19th century hand tools.

September 1, 1978 – September 30, 1979

American History Museum

Iron Bridge

See 18th and 19th century prints, watercolor paintings and artifacts depicting the world's first major structure formed entirely of iron.

June 19, 1979 – August 15, 1979

American History Museum

Translations: Lithographs After Daguerreotypes

Compare some 34 portrait daguerreotypes with their lithographic versions

May 14, 1979 – July 29, 1979

Portrait Gallery

Orchids of the Washington, D.C. Area, by Members of the Staff of the Museum of Natural History

See photographs of orchids native to the area; sponsored by the National Capitol Orchid Society.

May 26, 1979 – July 15, 1979

Natural History Museum

The Art of Rock

View about 60 color photomicrographs of the earth's crust, the work of Mark Thobisch, University of California, whose intent is to create aesthetic images, rather than scientific ones.

May 20, 1978 – July 9, 1979

Natural History Museum

Traditional Japanese Medicine and its Graphics

Admire 162 objects, including 32 woodblock prints as well as charms, medical instruments and pharmaceutical instruments from Japan.

February 14, 1979 – June 30, 1979

American History Museum

Naomi Nemura: North Pole and Greenland Expeditions, 1978

See photographs, equipment and navigation notebooks from the Japanese explorer's Arctic expeditions.

April 1, 1979 – June 7, 1979

American History Museum

Edison and the Electrical Age: 100 Years

View electrical artifacts, graphic images and period photographs from collections of the MHT and the National Park Service.

April 28, 1979 – May 19, 1979

American History Museum

Henry Wurtz (1828-1910) An American Chemist

Mark the acquisition of a manuscript notebook written by Wurtz, an early chemical entrepreneur, as well as geologist, inventor, and teacher, in this exhibit.

March 1, 1979 – April 30, 1979

American History Museum

Ride On

See a dozen 19th century bicycles, some familiar, some exotic, in this adaptation of a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service show.

May 15, 1977 – April 30, 1979

American History Museum

Lyman B. Smith and Robert W. Read: Taxonomic Studies of Bromeliads

Live bromeliads highlight the work of two MNH botanists. An Herbarium specimen as well as color transparencies and photographs describe their work of identification and classification.

February 15, 1979 – April 15, 1979

Natural History Museum

Brazilian Princess Topaz

See a 21,327-carat (9 lb. 6 oz.) flawless light blue gem, considered to be the largest cut gemstone in the world.

March 1, 1979 – March 30, 1979

Natural History Museum

Brian Mason: Research on Meteorites Found in Antarctica

See a piece of the first meteorite found in Antarctica in 1912 as well as a fragment from the large 878-pound meteorite collected by a recent expedition.

January 1, 1979 – February 15, 1979

Natural History Museum

Cut on Wood: The Art of Wood Engraving in America (1780-1900)

See some 70 objects, including prints and the tools and printing blocks used in wood engraving, the technique utilized in mass production of book, newspaper and advertising poster illustrations during most of the 19th century in the United States.

June 2, 1978 – January 31, 1979

American History Museum

Women in Science in 19th-century America

View photographs, portraits, research tools and apparatus, and publications of pioneering American women scientists.

September 15, 1978 – January 12, 1979

American History Museum

William Harvey and the Study of the Heart

A 1628 edition of the book from the Dibner Library as well as 19th century instruments used in bloodletting and 20th century pacemakers are on view marking the 400th anniversary of William Harvey's birth.

October 1, 1978 – October 31, 1978

American History Museum