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A woman named Evelyn Thaw dodges a camera, 1909

HISTORY

How the Rise of the Camera Launched a Fight to Protect Gilded Age Americans' Privacy

The Museum of Perfume, presented by Paris’ Fragonard Perfumery, is dedicated to exploring the methodology and history behind perfume making.

TRAVEL

Eight Weird and Wonderful Museums in Paris

A popular display in the Whatcom Museum’s Hall of Birds features several owls.

SCIENCE

Meet the Taxidermists Who Care for the Animals at Your Favorite Museums

“Titian made art into his late 80s and I’m now past that. I always wanted to paint like an old master, or rather an old mistress,” says the photorealist painter and sculptor Audrey Flack. “A radical contemporary old mistress.”

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Remarkable Legacy of Artist and Feminist Audrey Flack, Dead at 93

Red Bear’s Winter Count, Martin E. Red Bear, canvas and acrylic paint, 2004

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

From Powwows to Smartphones, See the Past and Present of Indigenous Plains Life in Narrative Art

Was Leicester Hemingway's micronation of New Atlantis a quixotic experiment in democracy or an elaborate improv comedy sketch? 

HISTORY

Why Ernest Hemingway's Younger Brother Established a Floating Republic in the Caribbean

A baby musk ox stands with an adult in the Arctic.

SCIENCE

The Quest to Resurrect a Lost Ecosystem in Siberia

Dancers; The Tango by Hugo Scheiber

ARTS & CULTURE

The First Tango in Paris Made a Stir Worth Remembering

Current Issue

Smithsonian magazine July/August 2024 issue cover

Most Popular

1.

Smart News

Amateur Historians Unearth a Long-Lost Tudor Palace Visited by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I

Locals had long shared stories of Collyweston Palace. Then, excavations in England's Midlands revealed traces of the fabled estate

2.

History

The Real Story Behind the Star-Spangled Banner, the Flag That Inspired the National Anthem

How the flag that flew proudly over Fort McHenry in September 1814 made its way to the Smithsonian

3.

Travel

Seven of the Most Beautiful Roads in the United States

From Alaska to Florida, these serene and exhilarating stretches beg you to take the scenic route

4.

Smart News

Alaska's Juneau Icefield Is Melting at an 'Incredibly Worrying' 50,000 Gallons per Second, Researchers Find

Between 2010 and 2020, the icefield lost 1.4 cubic miles of ice each year, according to a new study

5.

Science

Why Fireworks Scare Some Dogs but Not Others

Canine scientists investigate why loud sounds cause some dogs to lose their cool and offer insight on effective treatment

Smithsonian Voices
Smithsonian Books

The 'Friend to America' Who Helped Recognize the Country's Independence

Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Excluded from National Leadership, Black Women Were the Backbone of the Civil Rights Movement

National Museum of Natural History

How the Structure of a Mammoth Meteorite Reveals the Rough and Tumble Nature of the Asteroid Belt

Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery

Fourth of July Journey Through American Art

Office of the Secretary of the Smithsonian

Thirty Years Ago, a Smithsonian Exhibition in Japan Told the Whole American Story

Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Dr. Marian Pettibone Discovered and Described New Forms of Oceanic Life

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Special Report
Lofoten Islands, Norway

Northern Europe and the British Isles

Explore the region's history, culture and natural wonders

View Full Report

Featured Stories

The English Farmers Who Harvest Rhubarb by Candlelight

Hoyma Is Bringing Music Home in the Faroe Islands

Get an Eyeful of Iceland in These 15 Photos That Capture Its Natural Beauty

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Photo of the day

This is a photograph taken that depicts a path that leads to Bridalveil Falls. A Path to Bridalveil Falls

History

A woman named Evelyn Thaw dodges a camera, 1909

How the Rise of the Camera Launched a Fight to Protect Gilded Age Americans' Privacy

Early photographers sold their snapshots to advertisers, who reused the individuals' likenesses without their permission

Last May, the team uncovered a telltale sign of the long-lost palace: the base of a centuries-old wall and a foundation.

Amateur Historians Unearth a Long-Lost Tudor Palace Visited by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I

Edythe Eyde started writing under the pen name Lisa Ben after an editor rejected her first choice, Ima Spinster.

Who Was 'Lisa Ben,' the Woman Behind the U.S.'s First Lesbian Magazine?

Science

A baby musk ox stands with an adult in the Arctic.

The Quest to Resurrect a Lost Ecosystem in Siberia

A father-and-son team of scientists are trying to revive ancient grasslands by reintroducing large grazers

Two sides of a single ceramic lion's head and a female figurine from Dolni Vestonice

Did Prehistoric Children Make Figurines Out of Clay?

Rice coral grows over another species of coral.

These Supercorals Are Causing Problems

Innovation

None

How Dungeons & Dragons Sparked a Revolution in How We Play Just About Everything

Created more than 50 years ago, the game has captured the imaginations of generations of Americans, and not just the nerdy ones

In 1881, Fanny Angelina Hesse suggested agar, a jelly-like substance she used in cooking, as a replacement for gelatin, which scientists used to study microorganisms.

Meet the Forgotten Woman Who Revolutionized Microbiology With a Simple Kitchen Staple

In order to build ships strong and technically savvy enough to traverse through some of the most remote and challenging landscapes on Earth, several cruise companies borrowed designs from other parts of the shipping industry.

How a New Line of Expedition Ships Is Turning the Tides on Polar Seas

Arts & Culture

American video artist Brian Fridge created a five-billboard series in Dallas called View Finder that portrayed a solar eclipse.

The Long History of Art Inspired by Solar Eclipses

For centuries, curious artists have been trying to make sense of the celestial event

An oak peacock moth lands on a window behind dancing wedding guests, illuminated in red light. This photograph won the category for butterflies and dragonflies.

See 11 Winning Images From the Close-Up Photographer of the Year Awards

The latest winner of a Japanese literary prize said she used ChatGPT to write parts of her novel.

ChatGPT Helped Write This Award-Winning Japanese Novel

Travel

More than just a place to eat, many French country bistros offer lodgings and sell local produce. But the transactions of greatest value are the social ones, in which locals come together over a meal or a drink to discuss everything from pressing politics to idle gossip. 

Will the Bistro Save France's Rural Villages?

Because these social hubs are the glue holding communities together, a growing movement seeks to protect them on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list

Aspen, Colorado gets around 300 days of sunshine per year.

The 15 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2024

In order to build ships strong and technically savvy enough to traverse through some of the most remote and challenging landscapes on Earth, several cruise companies borrowed designs from other parts of the shipping industry.

How a New Line of Expedition Ships Is Turning the Tides on Polar Seas

At the Smithsonian

A circa 1846 portrait of Dolley Madison by John Plumbe Jr.

The Smithsonian Acquires the Earliest Known Photograph of an American First Lady

The National Portrait Gallery purchased an 1846 daguerreotype of Dolley Madison for $456,000

Could different backyard birds, such as a robin and a bluebird, produce viable offspring? 

Could a Robin and a Bluebird Have Babies? And More Questions From Our Readers

A 1914 photo of the Star-Spangled Banner undergoing conservation in the Smithsonian Castle

The Real Story Behind the Star-Spangled Banner, the Flag That Inspired the National Anthem