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Explore America: California

Explore America and discover people, places, art, and history that connect to California in the Smithsonian’s collections, held in trust for the American people. The collections include items that reflect the state’s distant past (a hunk of algae older than the dinosaurs) and its vibrant present. California’s natural treasures are as expansive as the “Golden State” itself: It is home to mountains, deserts, redwood forests, and about a thousand miles of Pacific coastline. View images of the Golden Gate Bridge, deemed one of the modern wonders of the world, and a gold nugget and Torah mantle from the 1849 gold rush. Explore the stories of notable Californians—from Hollywood icons to influential changemakers such as activist Cesar Chavez, chef and food pioneer Alice Waters, and tech visionary Steve Jobs.


  • National Museum of American History 100 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Smithsonian American Art Museum 47 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Portrait Gallery 29 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum 10 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture 10 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • National Postal Museum 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
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  • African Americans 15 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Indians of North America 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
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  • California Indians 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
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Filter Settings

Excluded:

  • Remove Date: 1940s close

37c Greetings from California single

California Giant Brand Lettuce Crate Label

Gold Nugget

Steve Jobs

Death Valley, California

Los Angeles Lakers uniform worn in NBA Finals by Kobe Bryant

Surfin' Safari; 409

Shoes worn by Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants

A California Landscape

Dolores Huerta

San Diego Mission

Dale Velzy Malibu Chip surfboard made in the early 1950s

San Francisco via TWA

Photograph of Bruce Brown, director of the movie, "The Endless Summer" released in 1966

Apple I Microcomputer

Shaun White

California 1938

Torah Mantle

California, Here it Comes

Ronald Reagan

Mt. Shasta, California

Alice Waters

Braceros

Stamp with illustration of two figures walking on a path with huge trees that disappear out of frame

$4.95 Priority Mail California Redwood Forest single

Golden Gate

Picture postcard, "Mission Dolores, San Francisco, California"

I Dreamed I Could Fly

Indians in Council, California

Serena and Venus

Do You Know What the Hollywood Sign Originally Said?

Corvina Fishermen at Salton Sea, California

Photograph of pro skater Judi Oyama, 1978

Mouseketeer hat worn by Lonnie Burr

Poster, “Wines of California”

4315 Hotel Del Coronado, Coronado Beach, Cal.


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