Smithsonian Snapshot CameraSmithsonian Snapshot

A peek into our collections, one object at a time
Betty White in Uniform
Smithsonian Snapshot

Betty White's Lesser-Known Role

From Hollywood to the home front.
Grace Thorpe
Smithsonian Snapshot

Grace Thorpe: A Life of Service at Home and Abroad

Thorpe was a World War II veteran and advocate for Native American rights.
Scraps
Smithsonian Snapshot

What a Good Boy!

What kind of dog is this?!
Rolodex File
Smithsonian Snapshot

Still Rolling Around

Even in the digital age, the Rolodex survives.
Blue Morpho
Smithsonian Snapshot

Beautiful Blue Morpho

What makes this butterfly blue?
EHT Black Hole
Smithsonian Snapshot

Confirmation at Last of a Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way

Eight radio observatories across the planet formed a single ¡°Earth-sized¡± virtual telescope to capture the image.
Muybridge Horse Gait
Smithsonian Snapshot

The Photographer Who Captured Humans and Animals in Motion

Muybridge¡¯s groundbreaking photography captured the moment all of a horse¡¯s hooves were off the ground at once.
Loretta Lynn Signing Autographs
Smithsonian Snapshot

The Coal Miner¡¯s Daughter and a Canary Yellow Dress

Country music icon Loretta Lynn created her own look and sound.
¡°Offering Education,¡± ¡°Offering Life¡± and ¡°Rejecting Injustice¡±
Smithsonian Snapshot

Elizabeth Catlett Showcased Issues Through Her Art

Catlett¡¯s sculptures show her long-standing interest in African American dignity, struggle, motherhood and uplift.
Ethel L. Payne
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Fearless Journalist

Ethel Lois Payne broke down barriers.
Lorraine Hansberry in her Greenwich Village apartment
Smithsonian Snapshot

Her Moment in the Sun

Celebrated playwright and civil rights activist Lorraine Hansberry in her Greenwich Village apartment. ?
Tailor of Gloucester
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Little Mouse Hygge

A pleasant scene from Beatrix Potter¡¯s The Tailor of Gloucester.
Solar Probe Cup
Smithsonian Snapshot

Shedding Light on the Sun

In a historic event, Smithsonian scientists help probe the sun.
Jet Pack
Smithsonian Snapshot

Taking Off With a Jet Pack

Imagining the future of flight.
Bat
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Nose the Better To Hear You With

The horseshoe bat has excellent echolocation.
I Dreamed I Could Fly
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Vibrant Dreamscape

Carlos Almaraz is considered a pioneer of the Chicano art movement.
Cell Phone from Sept. 11
Smithsonian Snapshot

9/11 Cell Phone

This cell phone helped save a life.
Steinberg Dog
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Whimsical, Thinking Pup

Possibly thinking about the Smithsonian¡¯s birthday¡­?
Captain Video Game
Smithsonian Snapshot

A Game Takes Spaceflight

¡°Captain Video¡± was based on the first TV show to feature spaceflight.
Red jellyfish
Smithsonian Snapshot

Seeing Red

This jellyfish hides in plain sight.
3 pictures of sleeping cats saying going going gone
Smithsonian Snapshot

A 19th-Century Cat Nap

People have enjoyed cute cat photos long before the advent of the internet.
drawing of cicada
Smithsonian Snapshot

Billions and Billions of Periodical Cicadas

When groups of cicadas emerge.
X-wing Starfighter
Smithsonian Snapshot

X-wing Starfighter Stays on Target, Lands at the National Air and Space Museum

"Red Five Standing By!"
Harry the Hipster Hepcat
Smithsonian Snapshot

Harry the Hipster

Hey, cool cats, it's Jazz Appreciation Month!

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