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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.


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Included:

  • Remove Date: 1930s close

A California Landscape

San Diego Mission

California 1938

Orange Picking (mural study for Fullerton, California Post Office)

picture, Tsubouchi family, Hanford, California, 1936

On the Carmel Coast

Mae West

Mt. Wilson, California

Construction engineer Maurice J. Shannon looks for a job on Sunset Boulevard

Hollywood Liquefier

Coast at Monterey, California

Busby Berkeley

Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa)

Cypress, Monterey

Pismo Beach, California, 1 Dollar, 1933 (clamshell)

San Francisco from Russian Hill

San Francisco from Russian Hill

Pacific Cable Car--San Francisco

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