National Museum of American History

Sporadically, I stole time to drop in the National Museum of American History, seeing a couple of exhibits each time. This was easy because it was near my apartment; I often visited it before work.

The museum is huge. I like how it conveys information, especially in the displays in the main halls. It shows objects that are not important in themselves but explains (in three sentences) how each represents its time and reflects a broad societal situation.

I took only a few pictures in the museum, mainly of displays that struck me.

The museum has some singularly important artifacts such as the flag that flew over Baltimore's Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 that inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star-Spangled Banner. The flag is large, much bigger than any flag you see nowadays. Also, it has fifteen stars. Incidentally, I learned that Francis Scott Key wrote the song to the tune of a British song (!), To Anacreon in Heaven. I also learned that the base commander's descendants kept the flag for a century and gave clippings of it to friends.

Another important artifact is the original Washington monument/memorial. It's nothing like the current one.

The exhibit on first ladies, their role, and especially their gowns/dresses, is interesting if only for the section of the exhibit that explains that this exhibit existed in one form or another for nearly a hundred years and describes how it has evolved. The exhibit was renovated while I lived in Washington D.C. I saw the new version and liked reading about what causes the first ladies championed in their public lives. This was in the earlier exhibit; I simply noticed it more/paid more attention to it in the new iteration.

I enjoyed the special exhibit on Julia Child, especially the videos of interviews with her and her demonstrations. She's a hoot! Also, now I want to buy a buffalo iron to make it easier to blanch vegetables. I liked this exhibit so much that, every time I went to the museum, I stopped by it (until it closed) to watch more videos.

In one display in another exhibit, I learned that Cincinnati was a popular destination for Jewish immigrants in the nineteenth century. The extensive display explores the phenomenon and its effects.

A nearby, similarly extensive, display about the experience of African Americans in Charleston at the same time is poignant for its dramatic contrast.

The exhibit on invention and play was neat: I enjoyed reading about inventions, inventors, and their processes. There is some interactive stuff here, including a full-sized (mechanical) windsurfer/sailboat simulator. Cool!

One exhibit, by tracing the history of a house, tells a series of household cultural stories (slavery, immigration, and home life changes brought on by war).

Another exhibit presents a portrait of the life & events in a particular year (1939): media, music, radio, world's fair, WPA (Works Progress/Projects Administration), heroes (real and fictional).

The musical instruments exhibit includes four of the world's eleven decorated Stradivari. Why the museum has Italian instruments, I don't know. Nothing in this exhibit is presented in connection to everyday life; as such, the exhibit feels out of place in the museum.

The popular culture exhibit includes Michael Jackson's fedora hat and all the muppets created solely by Jim Henson. They look rather shabby, and there's only one whose name I recognize (Kermit). I'm glad Henson later got help.

The exhibit on the American Presidency has a fun and interesting video showing the various ways the president has been portrayed in popular culture. It uses clips from movies over the last hundred years. I also enjoyed in this exhibit the display about what presidents have done after their term (travel, advocacy, politics, and more). I connected with it because I frequently think about what to do after I stop working.

I was intrigued by the idea demonstrated in the exhibit on Jefferson's Bible. Basically, Jefferson took quotes he liked and made a book of them. I can imagine doing the same using many books.

By the way, although the length of this post may make it seem as if I wrote about every exhibit, I did not. I wrote what I felt like. Some days I wrote about everything I visited; other days I only referenced the exhibits I thought worthy of mentioning.

I didn't even manage to see all the permanent exhibits, let alone all the special exhibits that appeared during my stay in Washington D.C. I saw probably two-thirds of the permanent collection.