The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian opened its doors this past weekend to a new exhibition, “A Song for the Horse Nation.” The exhibition, nestled on the third floor of the museum, tells the epic tale of the how the return of the horse to the Americas changed Native culture, from lifestyle to war to art and beyond. “For some Native peoples, the horse still is an essential part of daily life,” said exhibit curator Emil Her Many Horses (Ogala Lakota). “For others, the horse will always remain an element of our identity and our history. The Horse Nation continues to inspire, and Native artists continue to celebrate the horse in our songs, our stories, and our works of art.”

To walk the exhibit’s path is to walk side by side with the conjoined path of Native and horse. Though horses were introduced to the Native Americans relatively late in North American history—the early 1700s saw the initial widespread explosion of the horse from captured Spanish mounts in the southwest—the image of Indians astride these graceful animals is one that is common to modern Americans. The “Horse Nation” quickly entwined themselves with Native communities, forever altering tribal culture and the Indian way of life.

The Smithsonian’s exhibit seeks to give us a view into that not-so-distant past. But it’s more than just a simply history lesson: subtly but surely, “A Song for the Horse Nation” reveals how interwoven both horse and man became among 38 tribal communities from the Plains and Western United States. The horse was more than a beast of burden or a tool; the animal became a part of Native culture that still resonates among the people today.

‘beaded coat’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

It opens with historical context, showing the arrival of the horse to the North American continent from as early as the 1500s. Believed to have returned to the continent after evolving and moving westward through Asia and Europe, the horse made its return among the exploratory ships of the Spanish and British. The first appearance of the horse was quite the shock to the native peoples and helped the Spanish to quickly overcome any opposition. Natives had never seen an animal that could carry a person and many struggled to come up with a name for the new creature. Many Native names for the horse ended up being a derivative of “dog” such as the Cree’s “big dog” (mistatim), the Lakota’s “mystery dog” (sunkakhan), or the Blackfoot’s “elk dog” (ponoka-mita).

Natives quickly turned their fear of the horse into desire for them. In 1680, the Pueblo Uprising opened up the floodgates as hundreds of captured Spanish horses were traded to nearby tribes. The horse population quickly expanded north and east across established tribal trading networks. Historians often note that as the acquisition and absorption of the horse moved west-to-east, the rifle’s debut and spread among Indians moved east-to-west. By the time of the country’s western expansion in the 1800s, both rifle and horse were fixtures among the encountered Native communities.

‘DSC_0014′
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

The exhibition quickly recounts the historical narrative, however, moving from scholarly education into that of cultural definition. By the time of America’s expansion into the West, horses had made their mark among the Indians. Their likenesses decorated shirts, dresses, tipis, blankets, and toys. Because the Native perspective sees creation around them as a partner in life rather than an obstacle to overcome, the horse was a fellow creature to share the land with. It’s grace and beauty were respected and honored by Natives; to own a horse was a mark of prestige and blessing. The practice of “giveaway” became an honored tradition and a symbol of wealth. Owning several horses was one thing; generously giving them away in times of ceremony and to those less fortunate was the ultimate gesture in prosperity and humbleness.

Of note is the lengths the exhibition goes in pointing out the importance of horse capturing to these communities. Young men would often go out either solo or in small groups and raid an enemy’s encampment through taking horses. Several artifacts on display show a warrior’s personal record or stories to that effect, decorating their blankets or clothing with these heroic exploits. A young man who could return to the camp with a captured horse received praise and honor from family and friends. Horse capturing was elevated to an art form. And there was no greater honor for such a young man to return astride such a prize and then give it away to a widow or other unfortunate member of the community. Such actions manifested the man’s generosity of spirit, as well as his bravery.

When seen from this point of view, it isn’t hard to page back through the history books in our minds and remember the stories taught about “Indian horse thieves” and how it was a scourge upon the Western colonists. From the white man’s viewpoint, it was breaking the law. From the Indian view, it was a cultural norm. These contradictory viewpoints were but a part of the constant conflict that clashed repeatedly between the ever-expanding Americans and the Natives of land.

‘cree saddle beadwork’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

Even as the West was lost and the reservations became the norm, the horse never left the Native communities. By the 1900s, the horse was irrevocably tied to Native culture, honored in beadwork and drawings in both art and personal belongings. Though many horses were confiscated by the U.S. government (such as the vast herds of the Nez Perce), they remained an undeniable part of the community. As the exhibition winds through the last days of the frontier and the ends of the Indian Wars, the horse is seen more in cultural symbols and traditions of the tribal communities than as a weapon of war.

It becomes obvious that the cultural shift remained permanent. Even as the reservation lifestyle forever altered Indian ways, it did not sever the connection Natives had to the horse. More and more, Native peoples honored the horse through their beadwork and crafts, creating elaborate decorations and ornamentations for use in celebrations, parades, and powwows. The Smithsonian’s exhibition blooms at the end with artwork from the turn of the 20th Century through the modern day. Contemporary artwork using traditional methods such as beadwork and quillwork, as well as ceramics and oil painting, still convey the respect and honor Natives have for the horse. At the very end, a short film highlights the Nez Perce’s continued efforts to rebuild their horse herds through the Young Horsemen’s Program, which seeks to preserve the Appaloosa made famous by their ancestors. Their dedication to not just breeding but in respecting the animal speaks volumes of the attitudes of many tribal communities today.

By showcasing modern artwork through everyday items such as martingales and blankets, masks and paintings, the exhibition ties together and drives home just how important the horse truly is to Native culture and relevance. It is a syncretistic blend of the old and new, adaptation and growth, and a shining example of the spirit of today’s Native people. The Horse Nation is alive and well because of their efforts and will remain an integral part of the history, culture, and understanding of Native America for generations to come.

A Song for the Horse Nation will remain open through January 7, 2013. The National Museum of the American Indian is located at the corner of 4th Street and Independence Avenue, SW. The closest Metro station is L’Enfant plaza, servicing the Blue, Yellow, Orange, and Green lines. For more information, visit the museum’s website. You can see some of the items in the exhibit on my Flickr site.

out of the earth / I sing for them
A Horse nation / I sing for them
out of the earth / I sing for them,
the animals / I sing for them.
~a song by the Teton Sioux

Emil Her Many Horses is, by first appearance, a quiet, unassuming gentleman. A museum specialist in the office of Museum Programs at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), he is responsible for the facility’s latest exhibition “A Song for the Horse Nation.” A member of the Ogala Lakota nation of South Dakota, his expertise on the Northern and Southern Plains cultures is well served and seen in the exhibit that opens to the public tomorrow.

NMAI’s latest offering is a touching and brilliant display of how the horse has deeply impacted and affected Native cultures since their introduction to the Americas in the 17th century. “The exhibit tells the history of the horse; that they were here once before, migrated to Europe, and returned as the horse we know today,” explained Her Many Horses. “They changed Native culture. The horse had a major impact on hunting, warfare, travel, spirituality. These were big changes.” Changes that extend beyond the European vision of the animal.

Seen as a beast of burden, a tool, a weapon, the horse was brought and used by European explorers and colonists early in America’s “New World” history. And their introduction, according to many Natives, was probably one of the biggest positive changes brought about by the white man.

Emil Her Many Horses, NMAI Museum Specialist (photo courtesy NMAI)

Exploding across the Plains after the Pueblo Uprising in 1680, the value of the horse was readily apparent to many tribes. Their acceptance quickly altered the very fabric of tribal life and culture as Natives admired the animal’s grace, beauty, bravery, and determination. “When American Indians encountered horses—which some tribes call the Horse Nation—they found an ally, inspiring and useful in times of peace, and intrepid in times of war,” said NMAI Director Kevin Gover (Pawnee). “This exhibition shows how these splendid creatures came to represent courage and freedom to many tribes across North America.”

“The horse really became a fellow creature that lives with us,” explained Her Many Horses. “They are a comrade, ally, friend. What we try to establish is a relationship with a fellow living being, something that really reaches into the realm of companionship, as opposed to that of a simple tool or resource.”

That relationship can be seen in Her Many Horses’ own family history. The name is Lakota and that of his paternal great-great-grandmother. “More accurately, the English translation would be ‘Many Horses Woman,’ meaning she owned many horses,” he said. When the first census was made on the Ogala Lakota reservation in South Dakota, her name became the family’s last name. The census takers, however, had mistranslated “Tasunka Ota Win” into English as “Her Many Horses.” And so it stuck.

‘DSC_0123′
courtesy of ‘bhrome’
Among the Lakota, horses were a measure of wealth, but not in the traditional European sense. To the Lakota—and many other tribes—a more important demonstration of wealth came from giving away horses or other items in honor of a family member. Possession was not as important as generosity. Horses could be given away at naming and memorial ceremonies, or at giveaways, which celebrated anything from the return of a war veteran, honoring a graduating student, or the marriage of a daughter.

In the exhibit is a piece familiar to Her Many Horses. It is familiar because he made the toy painted tipi himself. “I made it to talk about the origins of my last name. It shows a woman—my grandmother—surrounded by many horses. To me, it became an honorable name to have.”

The opening of the exhibit is exciting to Her Many Horses. An expansion of the original exhibit at NMAI’s New York City George Gustav Heye Center location, this one adds an additional 15 major objects. One of the centerpiece displays is a 19^th century 38-foot round tipi that stands 16 feet tall. Cavorting across the surface are 110 hand-painted horses, both with and without riders, all in full gallop. “The tipi is Hunkpapa-Lakota, showing horse raiding and battle scenes all along the outside,” said Her Many Horses. His glee at being able to set it up for visitors was evident. “If you look at the drawings, you can see who’s the enemy. It’s Lakota versus the Crow—you can tell because of the hairstyles. It’s kind of a war record of the warrior who lived within.”

‘DSC_0023′
courtesy of ‘bhrome’
The tipi was a challenge for the staff to set up, taking them four afternoons. “We knew it had been re-sized, plus it wasn’t being set on open ground but a slick display surface,” he said. It’s safe to say the effort was worth it; the tipi is an exquisite testimony to how personal the horse was to one individual in the tribe; a sentiment still shared across the Native landscape today.

Other objects of life and culture of the Plains tribes decorate places of honor in the exhibit. “We included pieces that are associated with famous people, such as the rifles of Geronimo, Chief Rain-in-the-Face, Chief Joseph,” said Her Many Horses. “And we have photographs of many of these people, showing that link between the object and the person.” These placards are entitled Honor In the Name, introducing them to visitors and providing a glimpse of past lives to those in the modern day.

But primarily, the horse dominates. So entwined into the lives of tribes, they are the subject of beaded artwork on tipi bags, shaped into dance sticks, decorate jackets. Objects of everyday use with the horse, such as saddles, saddlebags, and horse masks, are given individual touches of color and life, providing an intimate look into the relationship between the owner and the animal. “I want the public to walk out of there understanding not just how the horse revolutionized Native life, but how that thread continues even today,” Her Many Horses said.

‘DSC_0096′
courtesy of ‘bhrome’
Bridging that gap of history to the modern, Her Many Horses invited Native artists to create their own contemporary art for the exhibit. He believes it’s critically important to show that continued thread of relationship still impacts Native life in today’s world. “We may no longer depend on the horse for travel, for hunting, for warfare – but it’s still important to us, our culture.”

To that end, NMAI will celebrate the opening of its new exhibit with a variety of events on Saturday, October 29. Partnering with the Washington International Horse Show, celebrating its 53^rd year through this weekend at the Verizon Center, both WIHS and NMAI are providing free programs and activities at both locations. (A free shuttle will run between the museum and the Verizon Center on Saturday only.)

Central to Saturday’s events is a presentation of the U.S. and Crow Nation flags on horseback between Crow equestrian and artist Kennard Real Bird and the DC Mounted Police. Following the presentation, K.J. Jacks of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma will sing the U.S. national anthem. The presentation will happen in the museum’s outdoor Welcome Plaza.

‘DSC_0106′
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

Award-winning bead worker and porcupine quill worker Juanita Fogarty Growing Thunder (Assiniboine/Sioux), whose own art is displayed within the exhibition, will hold demonstrations throughout the day. Children will be able to “dress” a full-sized horse mannequin using pieces that simulate many of those in the exhibit. S.D. Nelson (Lakota/Standing Rock Sioux), a children’s book author and illustrator, will host special storytelling sessions and lectures for both kids and adults.

It’s a jubilee worthy of the exhibition, and one that Emil Her Many Horses and the museum’s staff have worked tirelessly to bring together. It’s a celebration of the horse through many pathways, one that gives a glimpse into the history, life, and culture of many of the 38 Native communities represented.

‘beaded horse mask 1′
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

In the exhibition’s companion book of the same name, Her Many Horses points out one particular piece that succinctly symbolizes the power and value of the horse in the Native community. A beautiful and elaborate Lakota horse head cover is on display. Covered in exquisite designs among a glimmering background of white beads, the cover was used at a 1904 Fourth of July parade at the Pine Ridge Reservation. Alone, it is a fascinating work of art in geometric design and stitching.

What stands out, however, is that it appears to have been made with the intention to be recycled later on as different objects. A critical Native eye can discern where a pair of women’s beaded leggings could be fashioned from the “face” of the horse. A pipe bag, from the “cheeks.” Tipi bags (or, “possible” bags, because pretty much anything possible could be stored inside them) and moccasins could also have been made from the upper and lower neck areas.

The resourcefulness of the artist is evident; fortunately for us today, never followed through. The union of gifts never passed on and remains a delicate and intricate symbol of traditions brought together through the celebration of the horse. It stands as a beaded and colorful declaration of the art and the grace of the animal.

To Emil Her Many Horses, it is an expression of life and of culture that will hopefully never fade. “The Horse Nation continues to inspire, and Native artists continue to celebrate the horse in our songs, our stories, and our works of art.” With the opening of this latest exhibit, Her Many Horses honors his Lakota roots. Through the blend of art and artifacts, stories and characters, community and culture, he presents the public a valuable gift worth more than a simple object. He gives away to all of us a view into part of the past, the present, and the future of Native America.

And that is a song worthy of the Horse Nation.

A Song for the Horse Nation opens on Saturday, October 29 and will remain open through January 7, 2013. The National Museum of the American Indian is located at the corner of 4th Street and Independence Avenue, SW. The closest Metro station is L’Enfant plaza, servicing the Blue, Yellow, Orange, and Green lines. For more information, visit the museum’s website. WeLoveDC will have a full review of the exhibit on Monday; you can see some of the items in the exhibit on my Flickr site.

With Republican debates underway and the growth of both Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Occupy Wall Street, it appears most of America is angry, frustrated, or confused. And we’re all pretty much broke.

What better time, then, to look back on the legacy of a president who saw the country through its most traumatic era?

This month, Ford’s Theatre launches the Lincoln Legacy Project, a 5-year effort to create dialogue around the issues of tolerance, equality, and acceptance.

You read that right: it’s a 5-year project. And yes, they know that 5 years in DC time is about 2.5 generations of staffers moving in and out. By the time they’re finished, we’ll be entering primary debates again.

“Lincoln’s legacy is vast—far more than can be explored even in a 5-year initiative. For that reason, we are focusing The Lincoln Legacy Project on the foundation of his legacy: equality,” says Paul Tetreault, director of Ford’s Theatre. “We seek to present work that is both meaningful and motivational; to showcase the courageous men and women who pursued equality against extraordinary odds, as well as investigate moments in our nation’s history when we failed to live up to our ideals.”

Each year, Ford’s Theatre will present one centerpiece show around which they hope to start a dialogue. The theater will host special events to highlight the centerpiece show, including post-performance discussions and panel presentations.

The project’s first year also coincides with the February 2012 grand opening of the Center for Education and Leadership, a renovated campus for the theater’s educational programs.

We Love DC’s Rachel Levitin reviewed Parade – this year’s centerpiece production – back in September. Parade tells the true story of Leo Frank, who was wrongfully accused and ultimately lynched by a mob in early 20th-century Atlanta. It runs through October 30.

Related panel discussions end next Monday, October 24 at 7pm with the event “And the Young Shall Lead Us: A Conversation with Operation Understanding DC.” Tickets are free and available at the box office. Arrive early for the best seats.

Like

Unlike

Pneumatic Mail Container; photo courtesy Smithsonian Institution and the National Postal Musem

Today’s Smithsonian Snapshot looks at another method of mail delivery that dominated the early 20th century metropolitan landscape: the pneumatic mail container.

In the late 1890s, networks of pneumatic tube systems were installed under city streets to move the mail. Each pneumatic tube canister could hold up to 500 letters. The canisters, also known as carriers, were air compressed through the system, traveling in a spinning motion at an average of 35 miles per hour. At its peak productivity, 6 million pieces of mail traveled through the system daily at a rate of five carriers per minute.

In 1893, the first pneumatic tubes were introduced in Philadelphia; in 1897, the service started in New York City. Boston, Chicago, and St. Louis also eventually incorporated the system. By 1915, six cities (including Brooklyn) had more than 56 miles of pneumatic tubes pulsing under the streets.

During World War I, the Post Office Department suspended the service to conserve funding for the war effort. After the war service was restored in New York and Boston. By the 1950s, it became clear that the end of pneumatic tubes was in sight as increasing mail volumes and changing urban landscapes made it impractical. While post offices and businesses moved with relative ease, the underground pneumatic system did not.

Skyhook container; photo courtesy National Postal Museum

In the 1930s, U.S. postal officials tried different ways of moving the mail. One technique was called “skyhooking,” which brought the mail to rural towns that had no adequate railway or highway mail routes. Unfortunately, the towns which needed this type of service usually did not have adequate landing fields for planes.

Although a low-flying airplane could simply drop a sack of mail onto the ground, the tricky part was getting ground mail into the moving plane. The Railway Mail Service’s successful on-the-fly mail exchange system provided the inspiration for an aviation experiment. Mail would be “caught” by a plane flying overhead and reeled up into the plane. Of course, catching the mail was not going to be easy.

‘Stinson Reliant at National Postal Museum’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

The mail was placed in a rubber container (as seen in the top photo) suspended between a pair of 15 foot posts. The planes chosen for the service were rugged Stinson Reliants, tight-turning airplanes adapted to flying around hills and through valleys. The pilot would position the plane to hook the outgoing mail container using a 60-foot grappling hook on the airplane’s tail. Incoming mail would be dropped from the plane.

On May 12, 1939, the first scheduled service began flying two experimental routes led by the All American Aviation Co., later known as Allegheny Airlines and now known as U.S. Airways. The first route went from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. The other went from Pittsburgh to Huntington, WV. In the first year of service, All American Aviation flew more than 438,000 miles, making more than 23,000 pickups and handling 75,000 pounds of mail and 6,500 pounds of freight without a single casualty. By the summer of 1941, the line was serving more than 100 locations and picking up roughly 400,000 pieces of mail each month. The airline dropped its pickup operations in 1949 and converted to carrying passengers.

Lunch Box collection; Image courtesy Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Beginning in the 1950s, television transformed the lunch box from an ordinary food conveyor into a storyteller. The screen-like sides of the lunch box offered kids a new form of self-expression. Since then, the lunch containers carted to and from offices and school classrooms have reflected American culture. Certainly, no meal received more cultural “attention” than lunch.

Box makers paid for the right to use TV shows to promote lunch box sales. The studios used boxes to gain market exposure. And children acquired a new statement of their power and influence in the emerging world of mass-marketed consumer goods.

This selection of boxes and their drink containers from the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History explores that colorful heritage. And to spice up what may be a loooong day at the office, share with us what your favorite lunch box was while growing up!

Bison on the Mall; Photo courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives | Photographer unknown

Today in 1846, the U.S. Senate passed the act organizing the Smithsonian Institution by a vote of 26 to 13. The act was then signed into law by President James K. Polk. Among its provisions the Organic Act specifies a Board of Regents, Chancellor and Secretary and a suitable building with rooms for the reception and arrangement of objects of natural history including: a chemical laboratory, a library, a gallery of art, and lecture rooms. The Act also provided the transfer to the Institution of all objects of art, natural history, etc., belonging to the United States to Washington and the deposit in the Smithsonian of one copy of all publications copyrighted under the acts of Congress. Once established, the Smithsonian became part of the process of developing an American national identity—an identity rooted in exploration, innovation, and a unique American style.

To celebrate the Smithsonian’s 165th anniversary, the Institution is sharing the historic Smithsonian photograph above. It shows two American bison, also known as the American buffalo, in a paddock in the South Yard behind the Smithsonian Institution Building, now known as the Smithsonian Castle. The animals were acquired by the Department of Living Animals in 1887, which then became the National Zoological Park in 1890. This photograph was taken between 1887 and 1889.

Photo courtesy National Postal Museum

Tomorrow, one of the National Postal Museum’s most interesting objects is being commemorated with a U.S. postage stamp. During his lifetime, a scruffy mutt named Owney was the nation’s most famous canine. From 1888 until his death in 1897, Owney rode with Railway Mail Service clerks and mailbags all across the nation.

The Railway Mail Service clerks adopted Owney as their unofficial mascot, marking his travels by placing medals and tags from his stops on his collar. By the early 1890s, the traveling postal dog was a regular feature in newspapers across the country as Owney visited town after town. Owney’s unusual life and wide-spread travels have inspired several children’s books. Elementary schools across the United States continue to use the story of Owney as a way to connect their students with those in other states by sending stuffed toy dogs from school to school through the mail accompanied by messages from students to one another.

When he died in 1897, the postal clerks refused to bury their beloved mascot. Clerks across the country asked that the dog receive the honor they considered he was due by being preserved and presented to the Post Office Department’s headquarters. Owney was kept on display there and then sent to the Smithsonian Institution in 1911.

Apollo 11 Command Module "Columbia"; photo courtesy Smithsonian Institution

Forty-two years ago today, Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Earth’s moon. Today’s Smithsonian Snapshot takes a look at the Columbia, the lunar command module for the first manned lunar landing mission. (The first Space Shuttle was named after this module.)

On July 16, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins were launched from Cape Kennedy atop a Saturn V rocket. The Columbia was the living quarters for the three-person crew during most of the mission in July 1969. This Command Module, no. 107, manufactured by North American Rockwell, was one of three parts of the complete Apollo spacecraft. The other two parts were the Service Module and the Lunar Module, nicknamed “Eagle.” The Service Module contained the main spacecraft propulsion system and consumables while the Lunar Module was the two-person craft used by Armstrong and Aldrin to descend to the Moon’s surface on July 20.

The Columbia is the only portion of the spacecraft to return to Earth. It was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1970 following a NASA-sponsored tour of American cities and can be found as one of the primary exhibits at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

Dumbo Flying Elephant Car; Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

On July 17, 1955, Disneyland, the first Disney theme park and the only one created under the direction of Walt Disney, was opened to the public in Anaheim, Calif. The Dumbo car, pictured above, was donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on June 9, 2005, on the occasion of Disneyland’s 50th anniversary.

The Dumbo Flying Elephant ride is an original Disneyland attraction and one of the most popular rides in the park. It features music and exciting aerial views, as well as fiberglass “elephant” cars as seen in this picture. The cars include an interactive lever that allows riders to control how high they fly. Remodeled in the 1980s, the ride was inspired by Disney’s 1941 movie, Dumbo.

The storyline of the film Dumbo is based on a 1939 children’s book written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Perl. Animated by Bill Tytla, the movie follows the young elephant as he is separated from his mother at the circus, only to be taunted by the other animals.

Interesting little factoid: When former President Truman visited Disneyland in 1957, he chose not to ride the Dumbo Flying Elephants, as the elephant is a symbol for the Republican party.

Society6, an organization that connects artists with unique opportunities and empowers them to make their artwork available for sale without giving up control of their rights, recently completed an innovative project titled “50 And 50.” The idea behind this endeavor was to recruit 50 designers, one per each state, and have them illustrate their state motto using the same color-scheme. The results are modern, yet historical grounded, designs that would make any wall fit for oversized art proud.

Fortunately for us, although not part of 50 states, DC was included in the project and represented by Oliver Munday, whose  illustrations and designs have graced bookcovers, TIME, The New York Times, Wired, etc. And for those of us completely naive to DC’s “state” motto, it’s “Justice For All” or as the Romans prefer “Justia Omnibus.”While the DC motto is definitely on the design, it takes a huge back seat to the neon sign inspired “Cash for Gold,” which I can only assume is Munday’s cunning and subtle commentary that DC’s motto may as well be ‘Cash For Gold” because it’s impossible to have “Justice For All” when citizens lack full government representation. I also think the usage of “Cash For Gold” and the small campaign button-esque DC state flag are a commentary on the DC political scene; more specifically how the money and power of the federal government overshadow DC on both a local and national level.

Love or hate Munday’s execution, there is no doubt that he put some thought into the piece and that he’s definitely trying to make it more than just a pretty piece of wall art.

On a lighter note, as DC was included in the project, we’ve come up with a few alternative project names:

50 And 50, +1

51* And 51*

Any others out there?

Like

Unlike

Nakhla metorite; photo courtesy Smithsonian Institution

On June 28, 1911, the Nakhla meteorite fell to Earth at approximately 9 a.m. in the Nakhla region of Alexandria, Egypt. Many people witnessed its explosion in the upper atmosphere before the meteorite dropped in about 40 pieces totaling 22 pounds; the fragments were buried in the ground up to a meter deep.

In August 1911, the Smithsonian received two samples of Nakhla; in 1962, it received the 480-gram piece of the meteorite shown in this photograph. By the 1970s, the Smithsonian had acquired a total of 650 grams of Nakhla’s fragments.

Nakhlites, Martian meteorites named for Nakhla, are igneous rocks that are rich in augite and were formed from basaltic magma about 1.3 billion years ago. Their crystallization ages, compared to a crater-count chronology of different regions on Mars, suggest the Nakhlites formed on the large volcanic regions of Tharsis, Elysium or Syrtis Major Planum.

It has been shown that the Nakhlites were suffused with liquid water around 620 million years ago and that they were ejected from Mars around 10.75 million years ago by an asteroid impact. They fell to Earth within the past 10,000 years.

This item is one of 137 million artifacts, works of art and specimens in the Smithsonian’s collection. It is on display at the National Museum of Natural History.

Like

Unlike

Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

This week’s Smithsonian Snapshot helps us to herald in the start of summer. Good Humor, the well-known “ice cream on a stick,” was created by candy-maker Harry Burt in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1920.

His first candy invention was the Jolly Boy Sucker, a lollipop on a stick. While working in his ice cream parlor, Burt created his own recipe for a smooth chocolate coating that would be compatible with ice cream. His daughter Ruth performed the first taste test. Although it tasted good, Ruth thought it was too messy to eat. To solve this problem, Burt took the advice of his son, Harry Jr., who suggested freezing wooden sticks used for the Jolly Boy Sucker into the ice cream as handles. He named his new creation the Good Humor bar, capitalizing on the belief that a person’s “humor” or outlook on life was related to the humor of the palate. Burt immediately sent the patent to Washington, D.C.

From the beginning, Good Humor bars were peddled in gleaming white trucks by salesmen in white uniforms. By the mid-1930s, Good Humor bars were sold throughout most of the country. The pictured 1938 Chevrolet truck is believed to have operated in the Boston area.

Like

Unlike

In honor of Flag Day, the Smithsonian Snapshot brings you some history of a very famous flag. In the summer of 1813, Mary Pickersgill was contracted to sew a 30 x 42–foot garrison flag for Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. That flag later became known as the Star-Spangled Banner, the very flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write what later became the national anthem. The flag remained the private property of the commander of Fort McHenry, Lieutenant Colonel Armistead’s widow, Louisa Armistead, his daughter Georgiana Armistead Appleton and his grandson, New York stockbroker Eben Appleton, for 90 years.

In 1912, Appleton donated the flag to the Smithsonian with the intention to “present the flag to an institution where it could conveniently be seen by the public and where it would be well cared for.”

Amelia Fowler and her team restoring the flag, circa 1914; photo courtesy Smithsonian Institution

In 1914, the Smithsonian hired Amelia Fowler, a professional flag restorer, to preserve the flag, which was in delicate condition. Fowler, shown here with her team of needlewomen, used her patented preservation technique of creating a web of stitches to secure the flag to a linen backing. This preservation technique allowed the flag to be displayed to the public in a specially constructed glass case in the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries building. In 1964, the flag was moved to what was then the Smithsonian’s newest museum—now known as the National Museum of American History.

The Star-Spangled Banner is currently on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

I love history. And for me, the older the history, the more I love it. There’s something that fascinates me about seeing how the first people of a given culture tried to figure out the concept of civilization. And for the first couple of millenniums of human history the difference between civilized and true barbarism was incredibly fine. But sadly, DC doesn’t have a large selection of museums that cater to ancient history nerds like me. The Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum has an exhibit which hasn’t been updated since I was in elementary school; and Dumbarton Oaks Museum has a nice collection on the Byzantine Empire, but that is more medieval history than ancient. There isn’t much else without going to another city.

Imagine my excitement to find out that the National Geographic Museum was holding exhibit on the ancient Etruscan Civilization! For the non-history buffs out there, the Etruscan Civilization was an Italian peoples which inhabited roughly the area of modern day Tuscany (which is where we get the name). That area is, roughly speaking, bound by the Tiber River (and Rome) to the south, the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, and the Apennine Mountains to the north and east. The Etruscans were an important culture in Italy from about 750 BC to around 500 BC, and were an significant influence on Roman culture and history.

‘Nattional Geographic – Etruscans 07 – 06-09-11′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

The Etruscans’ influence on Rome is of historical debate. It’s clear that a number of features and concepts of Etruscan civilization were at least borrowed by the Romans, but exactly how much is unclear. I couldn’t find this in my research, but one gets the sense that historians can’t quite figure out whether the Romans were an offshoot of the Etruscans, or if the Romans did what Romans did with everyone they met: borrowed what parts of their culture they liked and put a Roman spin to it. You certainly get that sense walking through the National Geographic exhibit.

‘Nattional Geographic – Etruscans 02 – 06-09-11′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

If you’re familiar with ancient Greek or Roman history, you’ll feel at home with this exhibit. The Etruscans were heavily influence by the Greeks, as all ancient Mediterranean people were, but they also still have a distinct Italian vibe which the Romans helped carry on. The exhibit does a good job of breaking the Etruscans civ into three sections: their views on the afterlife and religion; the importance of farming; and general daily life, such as a look at their food and military cultures. The exhibit is excellent.

‘Nattional Geographic – Etruscans 04 – 06-09-11′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

The only bad thing about the exhibit is that it’s too small. I was hoping for a huge exhibit, filled with detailed displays which chronicled specific cities and exploits. Granted the Etruscans thrived for only a relatively brief time (~200 years), but their impact is still felt through how they influenced the Romans. But that wasn’t to be; the National Geographic Museum has only so much space. And they are still running their other great exhibit, Race to the End of the Earth. But, if you love ancient history like me, this is well worth a visit.

‘Nattional Geographic – Etruscans 06 – 06-09-11′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

If you’d like to see more images from the exhibit, please see my set on Flickr. National Geographic was nice enough to give us a sneak peak, so enjoy the photos.

The Etruscans: An Italian Civilization does require tickets for entry. Admission is $8 for adults; $6 for National Geographic members, military, students, seniors, and groups of 25 or more; and $4 for children 5-12 (free for 4 and under). The exhibit runs from June 10th to September 25th, 2011.

The National Geographic Museum is located at 1145 17th Street NW; tickets can be purchased online or by phone (202-857-7588).

The parachute wedding dress (120mm ektachrome); photo courtesy Smithsonian Institution

This week, in honor of the 67th anniversary of the D-Day landings AND the onset of wedding season, the Smithsonian Snapshot brings you an interesting artifact that ties both World War II and weddings that is currently not on display. This wedding dress was made from a nylon parachute that saved Maj. Claude Hensinger during the Pacific campaign.

In August 1944, Hensinger, a B-29 pilot and his crew were returning from a bombing raid over Yowata, Japan, when their engine caught fire. The crew was forced to bail out. Suffering from only minor injuries, Hensinger used the parachute as a pillow and blanket as he waited to be rescued. He kept the parachute that had saved his life. He later proposed to his girlfriend Ruth in 1947, offering her the material for a gown.

Ruth wanted to create a dress similar to one in the movie Gone with the Wind. She hired a local seamstress, Hilda Buck, to make the bodice and veil. Ruth made the skirt herself; she pulled up the strings on the parachute so that the dress would be shorter in the front and have a train in the back. The couple married July 19, 1947. The dress was also worn by the their daughter and by their son’s bride before being gifted to the Smithsonian.

About two weeks ago, I got the chance to go on a DC Preservation League tour of Saint Elizabeths West Campus. It was the second time I’d been able to go on the tour, the first time being in December of 2008. I was looking forward to seeing how things had changed in two and a half years.

But first, a note on this post: it’s going to be fairly bare bones on information. That’s because there is literally 150+ years of history in this location! Sorting through it all and writing a truly thorough post would be the length of a small book. There is a huge amount of research on the property because of the Department of Homeland Security moving onto the historic West Campus, and a lot of effort is being made to preserve as much as possible. I encourage you to dig deeper by reading the GSA’s website on the redevelopment, along with a short but detailed history of St. Es, and their extremely detailed Historic Landscape Survey. Also, we’ve talked about St. Es before, and it is worth rereading Tiffany’s article. And, of course, there’s Wikipedia.

Now, a very quick history of St. Es: it is a psychiatric hospital located on the hills of Anacostia overlooking the river. It was the first large scale and federally run psychiatric hospital in the country, found in 1855 by an act of Congress. Over the next century and a half, the hospital took up a large amount of land (over 350 acres) and housed over 7,000 patients at its peak in the 1950s. The hospital is now divided into an East and West Campus, with the West Campus being the original and most historic. However, the West Campus has also not been in use since the early 2000s, and the decay of the site gives the sight its unusual appeal to photographers.

‘Saint Elizabeths – Protection – 05-21-11′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

The first thing that has changed since 2008 is there is significantly less of the campus open for the tour (which is lead by someone from the Preservation League and someone from GSA, the Federal agency in charge of the West Campus). That’s because there is active construction going on now for the DHS complex that is going into many of the buildings. There is also more fencing up, like what is pictured above. But that’s good, because the fencing is to protect the historical landscaping and trees of the campus from erratic dump truck drivers. Much of the landscaping and trees date to the late 1800s and are of historic interest in themselves.

‘Saint Elizabeths – Center Building – 12-13-08′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

The first building the tour comes to is the oldest, the Center Building. This is the original hospital dating back to the 1850s. The Center Building is currently being assessed for renovations as one of the main buildings for the DHS complex.

‘Saint Elizabeths – Civil War Graveyard – 12-13-08′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

The next stop, the Civil War Cemetery, I wasn’t able to revisit this year because of the construction associated with the Coast Guard headquarters (no pictures were allowed of this; I can only assume it’s to keep our national enemies from learning the government’s secret hole digging technology *eye roll*). The cemetery over looks Interstate 295, and contains approximately 450 military burials and around another 160 civilians from the same time period.

‘Saint Elizabeths – Civil War Grave – 12-13-08′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

The cemetery is quite fascinating because it contains both black and white Union soldiers, which is unusual. There are also indications that as many as seven Confederate soldiers are buried here. There are ongoing efforts to identify the men buried here, but only a few identities have been determined.

‘Saint Elizabeths – Honor the Fallen – 12-13-08′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

An interesting fact I found about the cemetery is that there are soldiers from two famous Civil War regiments buried here. The two regiments are the 54th Massachusetts, of the movie Glory fame and one of the first all black regiments fielded by the Union, and the 20th Maine, famous for their defense of Little Round Top on Day 2 of the Battle of Gettysburg.

‘Saint Elizabeths – Overlook in the Summer – 05-21-11′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

The next stop is the city overlook, which is considered one of best of the city. As you can tell, it is quite impressive. From this overlook, you can clearly see such sites as the National Shrine, the National Cathedral, the Pentagon, and, more easily, the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building. There are also impressive sights of both the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers, and Haines Point.

‘Saint Elizabeths – SW View – 12-13-08′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

An interesting fact about the overlook is that this is where the Coast Guard originally wanted to put their new headquarters. Imagine this sight taken away from the public forever; that’s because security would never allow public access to the facility. Luckily, the Coast Guard was talked out of such a rash move, and now the overlook has been promised to remain open and accessible to the public. Only time will tell if that stays true.

‘Saint Elizabeths – Administrative Building – 12-13-08′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

The rest of the building pictures are from my 2008 tour. This is because all of the construction which has closed off much of the rest of the campus, for liability reasons. The picture above is the Administration Building, which dates to 1904. The building is currently undergoing renovations for use by Homeland Security.

‘Saint Elizabeths – Under the Winter Sun – 12-13-08′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Our GSA tour guide mentioned that most of the boards covering the windows have now been removed for the renovation to take place, and the building looks, in his words, amazing. Apparently much of the decay of the buildings is internal and the exteriors of the buildings have held up relatively well.

‘Saint Elizabeths – Hitchcock Facade – 12-13-08′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

This building is Hitchcock Hall, which contains the theater.

‘Saint Elizabeths – Hitchcock Theater – 12-13-08′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

This is the theater in Hitchcock Hall. Through its history, Saint Elizabeths experimented with many different forms of therapy for the patients in its care. For example, the theater was used for psychodrama, or a form of therapy where patients are encouraged to act out their thoughts through dramatization.

‘Saint Elizabeths – Look Through Decay – 12-13-08′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Another interior shot of Hitchcock Hall.

‘Saint Elizabeths – Staircase – 12-13-08′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Another interior shot of Hitchcock Hall. You can get a sense of how the interiors appear to be structurally sound, though in a state of disrepair.

‘Saint Elizabeths – Historic Wall – 05-21-11′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Lastly, I wanted to talk about the historic wall, which surrounds much of the West Campus. It dates from 1859 to 1869 and at one point encircled the entire campus. Now it mainly fronts Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

‘Saint Elizabeths – Corner Wall – 05-21-11′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

The wall is being preserved for the Homeland Security complex. But it is being reinforced with pylon obstructions directly behind it. These pylons are similar to what we see and deal with on a daily basis in DC proper. There will also be a new, second wall built twenty feet behind the historic wall. I’m not thrilled to say it, but the place will become a fort in the middle of Anacostia when completed.

To see more pictures from my two tours, check out my set on Flickr.

In closing, I want to tell everyone, if you have wanted to go on a Preservation League tour of the West Campus, do it soon. On my tour last month, the GSA guide commented to me that he was surprised that they started up the tours again this spring. I took that as warning that time is running out to see the West Campus before DHS fully moves in. The next tour is June 18th; if you want to see St. Es, RSVP today. And think about joining/donating to the DC Preservation League; they do very good work, particularly with Saint Elizabeths, and they deserve your support.

We here at We Love DC wish you and yours a happy and safe Memorial Day. If you are in harm’s way in service to the country, we thank you.

To those who paid the highest price, we remember and honor you. No matter the year or details of your passing, in peacetime or conflict, you were one of ours and had devoted yourself to the country in a way most of us never have and will never need to – because you did.

We Shall Keep the Faith

by Moina Michael, November 1918

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet – to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.

What would you do, what would you go through, to be the first explorers to the South Pole? Would you go through months of trekking through -40F degree cold, on a strict ration of food, constantly freezing and wet, and risking death every day? If that sounds like a great time, the National Geographic has the exhibit for you!

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first men to reach the South Pole, the National Geographic Museum is hosting an exhibition entitled Race to the End of the Earth. It recounts the challenges of two explorers during their race to reach the South Pole. On a 1,800-mile journey through Antarctica in 1911, explorers Roald Amundsen of Norway and Robert Falcon Scott of Britain fought the elements and raced each other to gain the honor. The exhibit is well suited for the National Geographic, because it adds the adventure and exploration elements to a fascinating and not well known historical story.

‘National Geographic – Race Preview – 05-24-11 13′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Before we go any further, let me just say, and I can’t believe I’m doing this for a 100 year old historical event, but there will be **SPOILERS** from here on out. I will say who won and what happened to people involved. Don’t blame me, or your history books, or Wikipedia, for giving away the ending. You’ve had 100 years to find this information out.

The exhibit starts off with visitors getting a chance to pick up cards which have information on specific members of the two expeditions. The idea is to follow that person through the expedition and see how things turn out. It certainly creates a personal connection to these men. I ended up getting a card for each team, and the two men’s journeys couldn’t have been more different. The Norwegian, Oscar Wisting, 39 at the time of the expedition and veteran of the Norwegian Navy, got to the South Pole with his team and got home in one piece. Henry “Birdie” Bowers, the Brittan, 27 and a “Jack-of-all-trades,” reached the South Pole a month after the Norwegians, but never made it off the Ross Ice Shelf alive. At the end of the exhibit, in a very touching and emotional display, you get a chance to read Bowers’ final letter to his mother, which he wrote during the failed return from the Pole, fully knowing he wouldn’t make it.

‘National Geographic – Race Preview – 05-24-11 02′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Visitors are taken through both expeditions, from preparation through the trek to the Pole and the return trips on the ice shelf. Through a multitude of of displays, visitors get a good idea of what the trip was like. There are recreations of the base camp shelters that both the British and Norwegians used; rare historical artifacts used by the participants in the expeditions; and even dioramas which do a fantastic job of giving the visitors an idea of what the two teams were coping with, such as white out.

‘National Geographic – Race Preview – 05-24-11 11′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Mid-way through the exhibit you come to the Norwegian’s triumph of reaching the South Pole, 35 days ahead of the British. The exhibition actually recreates the Norwegian’s camp, Polheim, and has a fascinating recording of Amundsen speaking about the accomplishment. When you realize you are only half way through the exhibit, you suddenly remember that these men are not done. The trip back home is as dangerous as the trip to the Pole.

‘National Geographic – Race Preview – 05-24-11 12′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

The exhibition continues with the doomed return of the British team. It was simply an issue of weather: the British took too long to get to the South Pole and got stuck in cold and nasty weather returning to their base camp. In the end the four-man British team, which had reached the Pole, perished on the ice shelf. In contrast, the Norwegians didn’t lose a single man or even a sled dog! The British team knew they were done for, and wrote the last thoughts to their loved ones in their journals. Those pages are the last part of the exhibit and they create a very sad and emotional ending.

‘National Geographic – Race Preview – 05-24-11 10′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

The exhibit finishes with a brief explanation of what is going on Antarctica today. To sum it up: Science, gobs and gobs of science! From geology to astrophysics. Or, if you like, as only xkcd can say it.

The Race to the End of the Earth does require tickets for entry. Admission is $8 for adults; $6 for National Geographic members, military, students, seniors, and groups of 25 or more; and $4 for children 5-12 (free for 4 and under). The exhibit runs from May 25th to August 21, 2011.

The National Geographic Museum is located at 1145 17th Street NW; tickets can be purchased online or by phone (202-857-7588).

Pac-Man Telephone, 1982; photo courtesy Smithsonian Institution

Reportedly inspired by a pizza with one slice removed, Pac-Man was developed by Tōru Iwatani, a programmer for the Japanese company Namco. His primary motivation was to develop a nonviolent game that would appeal to male and female players alike. Unlike previous hit video games like Pong and Space Invaders, Pac-Man had a recognizable main character that allowed it to be the first video game to also be a licensing success. Pac-Man is considered today to be one of the video game classics and an icon of the 1980s.

Recognized by 94% of American consumers, Pac-Man has the highest brand awareness of any video game character ever. The character itself appears in more than 30 officially licensed game spin-offs and countless unauthorized ones. During the early 1980s, Pac-Man was everywhere. It was the first video game to spawn a marketing phenomenon, including licensed books, clocks, radios, gumball banks, a Saturday-morning cartoon and gadgets like this Pac-Man telephone.

This item is one of 137 million artifacts, works of art and specimens in the Smithsonian’s collection. It is not currently on display.