Smithsonian

You’re looking at an animated GIF of a dance instruction manual from 1815, drawn by eminent Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (often known for his painting ”The Great Wave”). The creators of these wood-block illustrated books known as ehon in Edo-period Japan (1615–1868) developed designs that still inspire and inform today’s popular manga artists.

Original illustration and others on view in  “Hand-Held: Gerhard Pulverer’s Japanese Illustrated Books,” at our Arthur M. Sackler Gallery April 6–Aug. 11   

Official record:

Odori hitori geiko (dance instruction manual)
Katsushika Hokusai (1760—1849)
Japan, Edo period, 1815
Woodblock printed; ink on paper
H x W x D: 18.5 x 12.5 x 0.9 cm 
Purchase - The Gerhard Pulverer Collection, Museum funds, Friends of the Freer and Sackler Galleries and the Harold P. Stern Memorial fund in appreciation of Jeffrey P. Cunard and his exemplary service to the Galleries as chair of the Board of Trustees (2003—2007)
Freer Gallery of Art Study Collection FSC-GR-780.222

On Feb. 1, 1960, four African American college students—Ezell A. Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), Franklin E. McCain, Joseph A. McNeil and David L. Richmond—sat down at this “whites only” lunch counter at the Woolworth’s store in Greensboro, N.C., and politely asked for service. Their request was refused, and when asked to leave, the students remained in their seats in protest.

For the six months that followed, hundreds of students, civil rights organizations, churches and members of the community joined the protest and boycotted the store. Their commitment ultimately led to the desegregation of the F.W. Woolworth lunch counter July 25, 1960. Their peaceful sit-down was a watershed event in the struggle for civil rights and helped ignite a youth-led movement to challenge racial inequality throughout the South.

To learn more about freedom and justice in American history, visit the National Museum of American History’s “Separate is not Equal” online exhibition website.

(Source: newsdesk.si.edu)

Thanksgiving Menu, 1905

Smithsonian Snapshot celebrates the Thanksgiving season with this 1905 Thanksgiving menu by George Elbert Burr from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

In the early 20th century, Burr worked as an illustrator for several magazines including Harper’s,Cosmopolitan and Frank Leslie’s Weekly Newspaper, the same newspaper in which Winslow Homer provided illustrations.

In 1905, Burr created this menu for a Thanksgiving dinner that included mashed potatoes, English plum pudding, Charlotte Russe dessert and of course, the turkey, illustrated here in a simple pen, ink and watercolor drawing.

To learn more about the history of the Thanksgiving holiday and how studying food can help teach visitors about American history, visit the National Museum of American History website.

This object is one of 137 million artifacts, works of art and specimens in the Smithsonian’s collection. It is currently not on display. To learn more about this item, visit the Smithsonian American Art Museum website.

Vampire Squid Illustration, 1889

This Smithsonian Snapshot celebrates the Halloween season with this 1889 scientific illustration of a vampire squid from Smithsonian Libraries.

Its jet-black skin, the caped appearance of the webbing between its arms and eyes that appear red under some light conditions are what gave the vampire squid its name.

In 1889, Prince Albert I of Monaco began writing the series Résultats des campagnes scientifiques accomplies sur son yacht. The series, including the volume with this vampire squid illustration, is held for research at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries.

In the early 1900s, the prince’s strong interest in protecting the world’s oceans and discovering new species led him to establish the Fondation Albert Ier. The foundation promoted his research in the field of oceanography and marine biology.

The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) is the single living representative of the cephalopod group known as the Vampyromorpha. It is a small, deep-sea species found at depths of at least 2,000 to 3,000 feet in the temperate and tropical oceans of the world.

It reaches a maximum total length of around 30 centimeters with a 15-centimeter gelatinous body similar to a jelly fish. It shares similarities with both squid and octopuses. In 1903, it was classified as an octopus by German teuthologist Carl Chun, but later reassigned to a new order.

To learn more about the vampire squid in the wild, visit the Encyclopedia of Life.

This object is one of 137 million artifacts, works of art and specimens in the Smithsonian’s collection. It is currently not on display but is digitized in the Biodiversity Heritage Library. To learn more about this item, visit the Smithsonian Institution Libraries website.

Hershey’s Tropical Chocolate Bar, 1943

This Smithsonian Snapshot marks the Sept. 13, 1857, birthday of Milton S. Hershey, American confectioner, philanthropist and founder of the Hershey Chocolate Co.

In 1894, Hershey founded the Hershey Chocolate Co. and produced the first Hershey chocolate bar in 1900.

In 1905, Hershey opened the world’s largest chocolate manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania, about 30 miles outside Lancaster. The factory was located in the center of dairy farmland where Hershey had access to the large supplies of fresh milk needed to produce fine milk chocolate. Hershey’s milk chocolate quickly became the first nationally marketed candy in the U.S.

During World War II, the Procurement Division of the Army needed a ration bar for troops that weighed four ounces, would not melt at high temperatures and was high in food energy value. The Hershey chocolate technologists developed “Field Ration D,” which was so successful that approximately 24 million bars were produced every week by the end of 1945.

More successful still was Hershey’s Tropical Chocolate Bar, a heat-resistant bar with an improved flavor developed in 1943 and shown in this photograph.

To learn more about how wars have shaped the nation’s history, visit the National Museum of American History’s “Price of Freedom” exhibition website.

This object is one of 137 million artifacts, works of art and specimens in the Smithsonian’s collection. It is currently on display in the “Price of Freedom” exhibition at the National Museum of American History. To learn more about this item, visit the National Museum of American History website.

D.M. Ferry & Co. Seed Box, c. 1890s

This week’s Smithsonian Snapshot celebrates National Garden Month with this antique seed box from Smithsonian Gardens.

In the 19th century, seed packets were often displayed in wooden boxes adorned with colorful seed company labels. These boxes displayed several rows of seed packets separated by wooden dividers and were placed on general store countertops, acting as a “silent salesman.”

This late-1800s seed box displays the label for D.M. Ferry & Co., the seed company credited with inventing the “commission box,” a rack used for retail display. This seed box marks an important trend in advertising and marketing during the 19th century. It was acquired by the Smithsonian in 1986.

Seed boxes were just one of many marketing tools used by seed companies to sell their products. They distributed catalogs to amateur gardeners each winter in preparation for spring gardening. There are more than 10,000 seed trade catalogs in the Smithsonian’s collection. To view examples of these catalogs, visit the Smithsonian Institution Libraries website.

This item is one of 137 million artifacts, works of art and specimens in the Smithsonian’s collections. It is not currently on display. To learn more about this item, visit the Smithsonian Gardens website.

Babe Ruth and Other Red Sox Pitchers, 1915

Baseball season is here. This week’s Smithsonian Snapshot celebrates the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, with this 1915 photograph of Babe Ruth and other Red Sox pitchers: George “Rube” Foster, Carl Mays, Ernie Shore and Hubert “Dutch” Leonard.

On April 20, 1912, the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox opened to the public in Boston. The Red Sox beat the New York Highlanders, renamed the New York Yankees in 1913, 7-6 in 11 innings. Newspaper coverage of the opening was overshadowed by continuing coverage of the Titanic sinking days earlier April 14, 1912.

In 1914, the Red Sox acquired George Herman Ruth Jr., best known as “Babe” Ruth, as their all-star pitcher. This 1915 photo shows Ruth with the pitching staff that helped propel the Red Sox to a World Series Championship the same year. This photo marks Ruth’s second season in the major leagues.

In six seasons as a pitcher, the 24-year-old Ruth compiled an 89-46 won-lost record, with a 2.28 ERA and three World Series victories. Had he continued to pitch he would have ranked among baseball’s greatest pitchers.

This is a rare photograph of Ruth in the beginning of his career; it helps the Smithsonian fully describe the impact of this legendary baseball player.

To view more sports-related items at the Smithsonian, visit the National Museum of American History’s sports and leisure collection.

This item is one of 137 million artifacts, works of art and specimens in the Smithsonian’s collection. It is not on display. To learn more about this item, visit the National Portrait Gallery’s website.

Dizzy Gillespie’s B-flat Trumpet, 1972

Pony Express Mail, 1861

This week’s Smithsonian Snapshot celebrates the April 3, 1860, anniversary of the Pony Express.

In 1860, a relay system of horses began to carry mail across the 1,966-mile “central route” between St. Joseph, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif. This privately owned service was known as the Pony Express.

The Pony Express was replaced by a stagecoach line after only 18 months. Because of its short-lived service, there is not much surviving mail.

In June 1861, this envelope was carried from San Francisco to A.W. Canfield in New York City. It took 12 days to reach its destination. It features full markings, stamp and a patriotic cachet from the Pony Express mail route. This tells the important story of postal history during the late 1800s. It was collected by the Smithsonian in 1971.

During the Pony Express journey, riders stopped about every 10 miles at one of 165 stations along the route. At each station, the rider exchanged his horse for a rested one. The Pony Express service guaranteed mail to reach the East Coast in about 12 days. The additional cost for this service was $5—roughly $133 in today’s currency—per half-ounce.

To learn more about the history of the world’s best-known mail carriers, visit the “Pony Express: Romance versus Reality” exhibit on view at the National Postal Museum.

This item is one of 137 million artifacts, works of art and specimens in the Smithsonian’s collection. It is not currently on display. To learn more about this item, visit the National Postal Museum’s website.

Columbia Light Roadster High-Wheel Bicycle, 1886

What comes to mind when thinking about spring—taking the bike out for a long ride? March 20 marks the first day of spring this year. This week’s Smithsonian Snapshot celebrates the spring season with an original 1886 Columbia Light Roadster high-wheel bicycle.

Sold originally for approximately $135, this bicycle was made by the Pope Manufacturing Co., the first company to manufacture bicycles in the U.S. This bicycle was available with seven sizes of front wheel, from 47 to 59 inches, and two sizes of rear wheel, 16 or 18 inches. This example is fitted with a 60-spoke, 53-inch front wheel, and a 20-spoke, 18-inch rear wheel.

This group photo shows cyclists in one of America’s first organized biking tours. The first rider is Charles E. Pratt, first president of the League of American Wheelmen, a national membership organization for cyclists. The riders are lined up outside Readville, Mass., in 1879.

Established in 1889, the Smithsonian’s cycle collection has 60 velocipedes, high-wheel bicycles and safety bicycles. These items reflect the technological developments and popularity of biking beginning in the late 19th century.

These items are two of 137 million artifacts, works of art and specimens in the Smithsonian’s collection. They are not currently on display. For more info about them, visit the museum’s website.

To view bicycle advertisements and catalogs from the late 1800s, visit the Smithsonian Institution Libraries’ website.