Skip to main content Skip to main navigation
heart-solid My Visit Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution IK development site for ODI
Press Enter to activate a submenu, down arrow to access the items and Escape to close the submenu.
    • Overview
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Museum Maps
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
    • Overview
    • Exhibitions
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
    • Overview
    • Topics
    • Collections
    • Research Resources
    • Stories
    • Podcasts
    • Overview
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
    • Overview
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
    • Overview
    • Our Organization
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
    • Newsdesk
heart-solid My Visit Donate

Blues Music: Iconic Instruments, Images, and Sounds

One of the most influential styles of American music, the Blues is a living tradition with multiple regional styles. Have a listen with the Sounds of the American Blues and The Roots of Rhythm & Blues playlists from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and explore our blues-related collection items.


  • National Portrait Gallery 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Smithsonian American Art Museum 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Postal Museum 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Museum of American History 4 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anacostia Community Museum 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Archives Center, National Museum of American History 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Museum of African Art 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Photographs 13 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Video recordings 10 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Postage stamps 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Posters 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Graphic arts 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Collages (visual works) 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Exhibitions (events) 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Paintings 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Phonograph records 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Prints 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • African Americans 19 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1920s 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1930s 4 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1940s 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1950s 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1960s 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1970s 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1980s 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1990s 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 2000s 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 2010s 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • United States of America 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • USA 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Europe 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Germany 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Baltimore 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • CA 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • California 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • France 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Los Angeles 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Maryland 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Currently not on view 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Portrait Gallery Collection 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Collection 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Postal Museum Collection 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design Department 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Graphic Arts 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • smithsonianfolkways 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Music 34 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Entertainers 19 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Portraits 16 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Men 13 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Arts and Culture 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Musical instruments 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Musicians 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Singer 10 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Design 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Guitarist 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Usage conditions apply 35 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Not determined 29 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • CC0 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus

Filter Settings

Excluded:

  • Remove Place: United States close

Broadside for the House of Blues featuring a concert by James Brown and others

Blues

Boogie And Blues

Suit Jacket worn by Bobby Rush

Empress of the Blues

Emory Guitar played by Mississippi John Hurt at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival

Vampin' (Piney Brown Blues)

29c Robert Johnson single

Where to Sell Your Soul for the Delta Blues

29c Muddy Waters single

Blues Cruise

29c "Ma" Rainey single

Harmonica owned by Big Mama Thornton

John Jackson - "Steamboat Whistle" [Live at The Barns at Wolf Trap 1997]

Junior Wells

Hohner Blues Harp Harmonica, played by Bobby Rush

Bobby "Blue" Bland

B. B. King

Mo' Better Blues

Still Boss of the Blues

29c Bessie Smith single

John Jackson performs "Steamboat Whistle"

Dave Van Ronk - "Down South Blues" [Live at The Barns at Wolf Trap 1997]

Junior Wells

Beverly Plays the Blues

29c Howlin' Wolf single

Hommage à Bessie Smith

Muddy Waters

Albert King / Mott the Hoople / Freddie King

B. B. King

Ray Charles

Beale Street Blues

Sugar Blues

Bessie Smith

Bessie Smith, from the unrealized portfolio "Noble Black Women: The Harlem Renaissance and After"


  1. Current page 1
  2. Page 2
  3. Next page Next
  4. Last page Last
arrow-up Back to top
Home
  • Facebook facebook
  • Instagram instagram
  • LinkedIn linkedin
  • YouTube youtube

  • Contact Us
  • Get Involved
  • Shop Online
  • Job Opportunities
  • Equal Opportunity
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use