Smithsonian Institution Archives

01/01/2026

Archives? More like archived. The Smithsonian Institution Archives is now officially part of Smithsonian Libraries and Archives—and that’s where all the action is happening.

This account may be done posting, but the archival energy, the receipts, the tea, and all the behind-the-stacks drama are very much alive over at Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.

Follow us there to keep the story going!

12/31/2025

This is our last post here—time’s up! But don’t get too sentimental; it’s not goodbye, it’s a well-timed glow-up.

For the occasion, here’s a fitting gem from our archives: a clockmaker from Thwaites & Reed of London installing a civil time dial on a Renaissance clock tower face at the Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History). If you’re going to move, you might as well do it right on schedule.

Want more archival treasures like this? You can still find all the images, stories, and behind-the-scenes magic over at our new home. Follow Smithsonian Libraries and Archives and keep the history ticking.


📸: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 45, Folder 10, Image No. SIA_000095_B45_F10_004

12/30/2025

It’s December 30 and you didn’t think we forgot… did you?

Welcome to SLA Wrapped 2025: The Year You Kept Us in Circulation. A look back at a year fueled by curiosity, clicks, conversations, questions, visits, visuals, and a lot of shared files.

From images you couldn’t stop staring at, to posts that sparked real discourse, to research questions answered near and far. This year showed us (again) that libraries and archives aren’t just supporting the work… they are the work.

And since this also happens to be the month we’re officially archiving our Archives social page, it feels right that this Wrapped finally brings both sides of the house together. One story, one impact, fully filed and labeled.

Thanks for showing up, looking closely, asking questions, and keeping us busy in all the best ways.




*Wrapped data covers January 1–December 15.

12/26/2025

These are the faces we’re making as our audience keeps growing… while we’re actively telling you this page is closing at the end of the month.

We admire the commitment.
We respect the chaos.
But the content isn’t disappearing — it’s just relocating.

The expressions you’re seeing come from "Musei Leveriani explicatio" (1792), a lavishly illustrated natural history volume documenting specimens from Sir Ashton Lever’s famed museum. Equal parts science, spectacle, and very relatable facial expressions.

If you love the stories, the collections, the deep archival cuts, and history serving maximum face, follow us at Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. We’ve joined forces, which means the same impeccable content, same research, same archives — just one streamlined home.

New handle.
Same energy.
Still watching you ignore directions.


📖: From Biodiversity Heritage Library Shaw, George, Sydenham Edwards, Philip Reinagle, Charles Reuben Ryley, William Skelton, and Sarah Stone. "Musei Leveriani explicatio, anglica et latina". Vol. 1. [London]: Impensis Jacobi Parkinson, 1792. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/93481.

12/24/2025

From rare books to preservation magic, and from research rabbit holes to digitization brilliance — these are the gifts we wrap all year long.

This holiday season, we’re celebrating the true classics: stories that inspire, histories that endure, and collections that behave just well enough to keep our conservators calm.

May your days be merry, bright, and blissfully free of brittle pages or misplaced metadata.

Warm holiday wishes from Smithsonian Libraries and Archives — from our stacks to your season, may your holidays be filled with joy, wonder, and a touch of archival magic!

12/22/2025

Cue the empty shelves…

Just like these cleared-out bookcases, this account is officially wrapping up and moving on.

All future posts, paper glamor, and digital preservation gossip are now fully stocked over at Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.

So say goodbye to the empties and follow the real action—because the archives party just moved next door.


📸: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 31A, Folder 17, Image No. SIA_000095_B31A_F17_005

12/17/2025

"Yes, hi—just calling to let you know this page is shutting down.”

This 1970 shot of the Archives stacks in the Castle shows one very focused phone call happening in the back. Surrounded by shelves, boxes, and that classic mid-century office vibe, he absolutely looks like he’s delivering important news… the same news we’re giving you now:

The Smithsonian Institution Archives page is officially moving. All the archival gems, digital deep dives, preservation moments, and behind-the-stacks magic now live at Smithsonian Libraries and Archives .

Same expertise. Same collections. Now in one unified feed.

So go ahead and follow us—before we have to pick up the phone again.


📸: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 31, Folder 25, Image No. SIA_000095_B31_F25_010

12/09/2025

Stop. The. Press. (Or at least the posts.)

This account is signing off soon—but don’t worry, we’ve already telegraphed the vibes to our new home: Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.

Just like this telegraph sounder from our archives collection, we’re sending our message loud and clear: Follow the new page or risk missing out on all the rare finds, historical hot gossip, and digitization drama.

It’s the same SLA spirit—just with fewer logins and more sass.


📸:Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 27C, Image No. SIA_000095_B27C_022

12/05/2025

12/01/2025

The Smithsonian Institution Archives and Smithsonian Libraries social pages are officially merging — but don’t panic, we’re still the same fabulous SLA you know and love.

Think of it less like “a big change” and more like stepping into this stunning Castle Lower Main Hall: one unified space, towering stacks, and all the knowledge living together under one (ornate) roof. That’s the vibe.

So settle in, enjoy the view, and make sure you’re following Smithsonian Libraries and Archives — because missing out on what’s coming next? That’s so last century.


📸: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 31, Folder 38, Image No. SIA_000095_B31_F38_006

11/25/2025

Throwback to the "Torch", November 1956 — when even the turkeys were side-eyeing history.

This little gem from our internal Smithsonian newsletter shows a turkey staring down “Homo Puritanicus” like it knows exactly how the next few centuries play out. (Spoiler: the turkey was right to be suspicious.)

As we head into Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for the many stories—messy, complicated, and often hilarious—that live across our Libraries & Archives. From holiday humor to institutional milestones, pieces like this remind us that the Smithsonian community has long been wrestling with America's myths, origins, and traditions.

May your Thanksgiving be full of good food, good company, and just the right amount of historically informed side-eye.

11/24/2025

No-Shave November, but make it peer-reviewed.

Yes, you read that right—scientists have actually studied mustaches. In the "Texas Journal of Science (1949)", researchers charted out whisker wisdom with the same rigor they’d use on geology or botany. The takeaway? Even facial hair can grow into a serious subject of study.

So when your aunt pauses mid–pumpkin pie to question your Movember ’stache, just let her know you’re honoring a long tradition of scientifically significant scruff.

Explore the research yourself in The Texas Journal of Science: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/259018


📖: Texas Academy of Science. "The Texas Journal of Science". Vol. 33. [Lubbock, Tex., etc.]: Texas Academy of Science, 1949. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/259018.