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  • Let's Go to the Movies: Artifacts and Icons of the American Cinema
  • Early Movies
  • Silent Era
  • Golden Age

Let's Go to the Movies: Artifacts and Icons of the American Cinema

Since its birth in the late 19th century, American cinema has been one of the most powerful forms of popular art. American movies shape how the world sees us and how we see ourselves. The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is home to an extensive number of objects and images related to film and television history, and more are being digitized all the time. The National Portrait Gallery features notable stars of the big screen. The National Postal Museum houses commemorative stamps featuring icons of film.


  • National Portrait Gallery 118 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
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  • African Americans 17 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
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  • Movie Collection 13 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
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Excluded:

  • Remove Topic: Design close

Indiana Jones Thermos

Marilyn Monroe

Textile Design: Hollywood Series, 1930

William Powell and Hedy Lamarr

37c American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes: Costume Design single

Stamp with portrait of John Ford smoking a pipe, in the background a man walks into western scenery

Forever Great Film Directors: John Ford single

Forever Great Film Directors: Frank Capra single

Film Series: Wizard of Oz

39c Black Heritage: Hattie McDaniel single

Script for The Wizard of Oz

Film still for Carmen Jones

Photograph for The Emperor Jones

Film still for Cabin in the Sky

Film still of Julius Carry and Taimak in The Last Dragon

Lupe Vélez cinema card

Makeup case used by makeup artist Bernadine M. Anderson

Navy blue baseball cap for the Black Stuntmen's Association

Technicolor: Film Magazine

Harrison Ford doing electrical repair for Sevem Darden at his house on Fountain Avenue, Hollywood, CA, 1967

Katherine Dunham

Character study of Mlle Upanova, the dancing ostrich, for the Disney animated film Fantasia

Clara Bow cinema card

Snow White colored animation celluloid

Dolores del Río cinema card

Myrna Loy cinema card

That's Entertainment!

Fay Wray cinema card

Raúl Juliá


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