| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (L-R) Natashia Troubetskoia's Anaïs Nin (c 1932, detail), Man Ray's Peggy Guggenheim (c 1924, detail), Loïs Mailou Jones's Lillian Evanti (c 1940, detail); Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery | | | Meet the American Women Who Found their Voice in Modernist Paris During the early twentieth century, Paris was the destination of choice for talented and independent American women who were determined to move beyond the limitations that restricted them at home. As foreigners in a cosmopolitan city, they escaped the societal expectations and constraints of both the United States and France. Many used their newfound liberty as an opportunity for self-reinvention and discovery. The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery exhibition Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939 showcases more than 60 of these American women artists, writers, and dancers. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Edo artists, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, (L-R) Figure of a King (18th-19th century), Plaque (mid-16th to 17th century), and Vessel (mid-late 19th century); Copper alloy; Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art | | | Cast Bronze Collection Represents Centuries of Craftsmanship and a Long Journey Home The Kingdom of Benin is renowned for the exceptional quality and diversity of its royal arts fashioned in copper alloy, ivory, terracotta, wood, iron, and coral beads. In 1897 during a British raid on Benin, the royal palace was burned and looted, and the oba (or king) was exiled. The British confiscated an estimated 3,000 royal objects, which eventually made their way into museums and private collections around the world.
Committed to the principles of shared stewardship and return of unethically obtained objects to their communities of origin, the Smithsonian worked with Nigeria and Benin to identify and transfer ownership of 29 objects. With permission from the kingdom of Benin, nine of these objects are now on loan to the Smithsonian; the other 20 have been returned to Nigeria. The Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art exhibition Benin Bronzes: Ambassadors of the Oba displays the nine objects reflecting the dynamism of the Edo peoples, their artistry, and their cultural heritage. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Did you know that everything in this newsletter is made possible by people like you? Support your Smithsonian and help bring knowledge to life. | | | | | | | | Allen's swamp monkey, Edgar, in his nursery at three weeks old. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. | | | Inside the Zoo: How Staff Rallied for an Abandoned Baby Monkey After the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute's newest Allen's swamp monkey, Edgar, was born on August 21, 2023, primate curator Becky Malinsky was relieved he'd arrived alive and healthy. But his entry to the Zoo scene came with a little wrinkle: the wrong mother monkey was holding him.
Staff had arrived early in the morning to discover Edgar's mother, Zawadi, had given birth overnight. But they found Layla, his grandmother, cradling the little newborn, who weighed as much as a bar of soap. While Layla's body heat kept tiny Edgar warm enough, she could not produce the milk he needed for nourishment. With the newborn in such a fragile state, keepers knew they had to step in to save Edgar. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (L-R) Gold dots represent the locations of California's historic gold mines created using information provided by California Geological Survey, Doug Stevens/Flyboy Graphics ©2021, Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian; Parade down Main Street in Red Bluff, California, ca. 1870. California State University, Chico, Meriam Library Special Collections | | | The Impact of the Gold Rush on Native Americans of California Until recent years, the story of how the Gold Rush affected California's Indigenous peoples had largely gone untaught or underrecognized. The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian's new Native Knowledge 360° digital lesson works to break down the stereotype that California was uninhabited when the United States pushed west. Through primary sources, maps, images, and background history, The Impact of the Gold Rush on Native Americans of California: A Source Investigation offers insight into the little-known but vitally important aspect of this iconic event in American history. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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