Legacies: Collecting America's History at the Smithsonian

by Steven D. Lubar

The Smithsonian Institution has been America's museum since 1846. What do its vast collections -- from the ruby slippers to a piece of Plymouth Rock, first ladies' gowns to patchwork quilts, a Model T Ford to a customized Ford LTD low rider -- tell Americans about themselves? In this lavishly illustrated guide to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Steven Lubar and Kathleen M. Kendrick tell the stories behind more than 250 of the museum's treasures, many of them never before photographed for publication. These stories not only reveal what America as a nation has decided to save and why but also speak to changing visions of national identity. As the authors demonstrate, views of history change over time, methods of historical investigation evolve and improve, and Americas' understand of the past matures. Shifts in focus and attitude lie at the hearth of Legacies, which is organized around four concepts of what a national museum of history can be: a treasure house, a shrine to the famous, a palace of progress, and a mirror of the nation. Thus, the museum collects cherished or precious objects, houses celebrity memorabilia, documents technological advances, and reflects visitors' own lives. Taking examples from science and technology, politics, decorative arts, military history, ethnic heritage, popular culture and everyday life, the authors provide historical context for the work of the Smithsonian and shed new light on what is important, and who is included, in American history. Throughout its history, Lubar and Kendrick conclude, the museum has played a vital role in both shaping and reflecting America's sense of itself as a nation.

Genres: History, Museums, Nonfiction, Art

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Legacies" looks like a classic Smithsonian coffee table book, but it is much more. In addition to photos and stories about 250 artifacts in the National Museum of American History, there is a lot of inside information about what guides the curators in their selections and how these guidelines change as time passes. An object barely worth collecting 100 years ago might gain more value, and vice versa. The authors mention a number of objects that seemed important many years ago but that now merit just a shrug from museum-goers.

[Tee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome coffee table book I picked up. It's packed full of interesting facts and pictures. It's perfect!

[Emily Rheault]

If you want a good coffee table book on the history of the Smithsonian and how it has collected and interpreted its collections, then this is the book for you.