Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Doodles, Drafts and Designs: Industrial Drawings from the Smithsonian"

Invention at Play Homepage

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 10:43:31 GMT

Through the use of interactive games, inventors' stories, video commentaries, and toy displays, students will learn how play connects to the creative impulse that is fundamental to the work of invention, and explore the playful side of invention and the inventive side of play.

Behind the Designs

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:14:36 GMT

In this lesson, students will answer the question, "What makes a good magazine cover design?" Students will examine cover designs used by House and Garden, Children's Playmate, Life, Steel Horizons, and Ladies' Home Journal and compare the artistic and design philosophies behind them. This activity is part of the online exhibition entitled July 1942: United We Stand.

Produce For Victory: Posters on the American Home Front (1941-45)

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:03:38 GMT

Students will learn how posters connected the home front with the military front through the use of art intended to advertise the nation's war aims and represent the American ideals of the time. This online resource discusses the images created for and the messages conveyed by famous World War II propaganda posters, as well as the debate over their design. World War II posters helped to mobilize a nation. Inexpensive, accessible, and ever-present, the poster was an ideal agent for making war aims the personal mission of every citizen.

Making Sense of "Failed" Car Technology

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:20:51 GMT

Students can learn about the history of experimentation and innovation in the design of steam-powered, internal-combustion, electric, and solar-powered automobiles. This reference page is included in the online exhibition entitled America on the Move, which focuses on transportation in US history.

United We Stand: Magazine Cover Analysis

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:16:48 GMT

Students will analyze and interpret magazine covers from July 1942, when some five hundred publications featured the stars and stripes to promote national unity, rally support for the war, and celebrate Independence Day. Students will then create their own magazine covers for the July 1942 "United We Stand" campaign.