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Posts by tag

Smithsonian

28 posts
  • Other

Whipping up a Frenzy

  • David Breithaupt
  • June 14, 2016
As an intern at the Corcoran, I suddenly understood the power of art. When a 1989 Washington DC Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit was cancelled, young art major Jack Ludden found himself beginning his…
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  • Other

The Only Way to Travel

  • David Breithaupt
  • June 7, 2016
A new exhibit, Fantastic Worlds: Science and Fiction 1780–1910, is on view at the newly renovated Smithsonian Libraries Gallery at the National Museum of American History. The exhibit explores the imaginations of 18th…
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  • Other

Catch My (Trendy) Disease

  • Michelle Vider
  • May 16, 2016
Pale skin, thin waists, sparkling eyes, rosy cheeks, red lips—all trademarks of 19th century English beauty trends, and all symptoms of the tuberculosis epidemic that ran rampant until the advent…
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  • Other

Patti and Robert, Frida and Diego

  • Charley Locke
  • January 15, 2016
The last painting Frida painted in her life was watermelons, and at the end of his life, Diego also painted watermelons. I always thought that was beautiful: this green fruit…
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  • Other

The Great American Typo

  • P.E. Garcia
  • December 18, 2015
The Smithsonian attempts to hunt down its own white whale: why is Moby-Dick hyphenated in the title of the novel but unhyphenated in the text?
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We’d All Be Better Off With Napoleon

  • Lyz Lenz
  • May 28, 2015
On the bicentennial of the Battle of Waterloo, Andrew Roberts argues that we’d all be better off with a little more Napoleon: A vast amount of literature has explored why…
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Finding Inspiration in Weird Places

  • P.E. Garcia
  • November 3, 2014
At this point, everyone knows about the Amtrak Residency, but the Smithsonian highlights some other unusual places artists can seek their inspiration, including a shack on the beach and a…
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  • Other

Word of the Day: Didapper

  • Sara Menuck
  • July 2, 2014
(n.) commonly, a little grebe or dabchick, a small water bird that dives underwater; also, a name for someone who disappears for a time before bobbing up again His papers…
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  • Other

Go to the Library Without Leaving Your House

  • Lauren O'Neal
  • December 30, 2013
If you liked learning about fore-edge paintings, you’ll love the New York Public Library’s Tumblr. And the Smithsonian Libraries’ Tumblr. And the University of Iowa’s Special Collections & University Archives Tumblr. And…
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Baby Panda Bears!

  • Lauren O'Neal
  • December 30, 2013
We’ll just leave this here: A Smithsonian magazine piece on the National Zoo’s baby pandas. And it’s by Susan Orlean. And it includes photos.
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Narratives of Survival

  • Ashley Perez
  • November 26, 2013
The Voice of Witness project, founded by McSweeney’s Dave Eggers,  is a nonprofit that records the narratives of those who have survived harrowing experiences. The project was started after Dave…
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  • Other

Why Clowns Freak Us Out So Bad

  • Lauren O'Neal
  • August 5, 2013
If you find clowns more sinister than hilarious, you’re in good company. Clowning has long been associated with a frisson of tragedy or fear, since way before It or John Wayne…
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