This tortoiseshell woman's hair comb dates from the 19th century. A precursor to plastics, tortoiseshell and horn were common materials used in combs since they could be made soft and moldable by heating. As they cooled, they would harden and keep their new shape.  

Part of the appeal of Coca Cola has always been cultural not just taste. In the early 1900s Coca Cola expanded to international markets creating a Foreign Department in 1926. This ad promotes the notion that consuming Coca Cola is sophisticated and modern. Close inspection of this “Shanghai lad

Shave Head uses a two-level drawing shows a buffalo hunt with four wounded animals, and a separate hunt and the wounding of an elk. The Cheyenne warriors wear full headdress and four of the five also wear their mountain lion bow and quiver, symbolically powerful pieces of hunting gear.

This is one of the first models of Liberty cast in the United States. Often described as the American Committee Model, this statuette was produced in the tens of thousands. It was sold to subscribers to finance the construction of a pedestal for the full-size statue in New York Harbor.

In 1906 Ng Shee Lee packed her clothes and belongings in this trunk and left China for America. It was a difficult trip. She slept next to the noisy engine room; arriving tired and sick in San Francisco she was met by the devastating 1906 earthquake. Ng Shee then made her way alone by train across C

Physical Description Blue wool coat with gold trim on cuffs. Cap with wool body and gold-colored band. Naval insignia. Specific History Service coat and cap worn by Captain Charles V. Gridley at the Battle of Manila Bay. General History An Annapo

Sixteen-year-old Judy Garland wore these sequined shoes as Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film classic The Wizard of Oz. In the original book by L. Frank Baum, Dorothy's magic slippers are silver; for the Technicolor movie, they were changed to ruby red to show up more vividly against the yell

In addition to artifacts and background information on the first ladies, this website features thematic overviews of the many roles of the first ladies, a timeline of first ladies, and behind-the-scenes details on the history of the first ladies exhibitions at the Smithsonian. The Smithsonia

Gold coins fused by heat. Specific History This pile of five-peseta coins was fused together by the fire aboard the Spanish ship Infanta Maria Teresa, flagship of Admiral Pascual Cervera. General History Infanta Maria Teresa led the so

By the 1700s, samplers depicting alphabets and numerals were worked by young women to learn the basic needlework skills needed to operate the family household.  The earliest dated sampler in the museum's collection was made in 1735 by Lydia Dickman of Boston, Massachusetts.