Enlisted soldier's uniform. The brown, doughy color of the uniform led to these soldiers being referred to as "doughboys," though the exact derivation of the nickname has been debated.

Life on America's farms in the 1920s and 1930s meant hard work and frugal habits. Farm families were used to "making do" with what they had, wasting nothing that could be recycled or reused. With feed sacks and flour bags, farmwomen took thriftiness to new heights of creativity, transforming the

This cloth banner celebrates the electoral victory of Thomas Jefferson over John Adams in the presidential election of 1800. The banner is believed to be one of the earliest surviving textiles carrying partisan imagery, created at the dawn of the first American party system in which power passed

During the colonial period, cattle horns were used by woodsmen and by soldiers for storing gunpowder in a safe, dry place. The horns also became decorative objects as they were personalized by the owner. Makers carved names, initials, dates, flags, battles, and even full maps on the exterior of t

This photograph of a blue ash tree is one of forty-nine framed black and white photographic prints bequeathed to the Smithsonian by William F. Bucher of Washington, D.C. The collection represents a labor of love for Bucher, a cabinetmaker, who framed each photograph in wood of the same species as

This webiste, from the Lemelson Center’s Spark!Lab, uses fun activities to help kids and families learn about the history and process of invention. Students can play games, conduct science experiments, explore inventors’ notebooks, and even invent! Spark!Lab, the newest hands on space fo

In 1851 Isaac Merritt Singer formed the I.M. Singer & Company (later the Singer Sewing Machine Company) after inventing his own sewing machine to remedy a flaw he noticed with traditional models. This Singer 24 chain stitch sewing machine was manufactured in 1910, and used in t

A New Havel Motor brand pocket watch with black faceplate and radium painted numbers and clock hands. The watch case is made of plated metal and has a ridged winding mechanism at the top. "New Haven Motor" and "Radium" are printed in white lettering on the watch face.In the 1910s–1920s, radium was

The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are: A valuable preparation for chapped lips, face and hands; minor burns and scalds; bites and stings of non-poisonous insects and all other conditions for which a soothing salve is useful. Learn more about the artifact!

This small piece of yellow metal is believed to be the first piece of gold discovered in 1848 at Sutter's Mill in California, launching the gold rush. John Marshall was superintending the construction of a sawmill for Col. John Sutter on the morning of January 25, 1848, on the Sout