These ballet shoes were worn by dancer Misty Copeland at a January 2018 production of Black Swan, and have been pancaked (or colored) to match Copeland's skin color.

These shoes, worn by dancer Stella Abrera in a January 2018 production of The Nutcracker, have been pancaked to match Abrera's skin color. When they are dancing without wearing tights, dancers pancake their shoes to match their skin color.Stella Abrera joined the American Ballet Theatre in 1996 and

James Smithson might be surprised to learn about some of the objects in the collections at the institution he established. The Englishman bequeathed his fortune to found "at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase & diffusion of knowledge a

This display explores the active and largely overlooked role played by women throughout World War I, both as a part of the preparedness effort before 1917 and afterwards as uniformed members of both the U.S. military and civilian voluntary organizations. In a larger historical context, the exhibi

For nearly a decade, the museum has used theater as a means of enlivening the visitor experience and engaging the public in dialogue on challenging topics in history. Thousands of visitors have joined a mock civil rights training session, debated the use of violence with John Brown, or met Louise

In this episode of the History Explorer podcast, we go behind the "seams" to explore the many layers of the Museum’s latest acquisition—Elphaba’s dress from the Broadway Musical Wicked, which gave a new spin on L. Frank Baum’s well known book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

This online exhibition explore the role of the portable printing press in conveying information during the Civil War. The ability to communicate quickly in wartime can profoundly affect military actions and outcomes. The invention of portable tabletop printing presses at the time of the American

After the December 7, 1941, bombing of the military base at Pearl Harbor, Americans rallied around the war effort with the patriotic cry, "Remember Pearl Harbor." Thousands of buttons or lapel pins were distributed to remind Americans of the tragic event and to solidify the war efforts.

Khaki-colored tropical worsted material with a rolled collar with lapels, epaulets on the shoulders, two false horizontal breast pockets with small gold-colored metallic buttons, and two side pockets over the hips. The jacket is closed by four gold-colored metallic buttons. Staff sergeant chevron

In this episode of the History Explorer podcast series, students will hear from Xavier Carnegie, the Museum’s Creative Director and one of the lead actors for the “Join the Student Sit-Ins” theater program about the research he conducts to develop and enhance his performance.