Air and Space Museum, American History
My traveling companion returned home on a 6 am flight, leaving me to fend for myself in DC all day Monday and half of Tuesday. I was determined to finish seeing the sights.
Monday morning saw me making my way around a couple of the Smithsonians. I started the day at the Hirshhorn Museum of Modern Art. There were some interesting pieces, but at the end of the day, I'm rather picky about what modern art I enjoy.
After the Hirshhorn I headed to the Air and Space Museum. It was ok, but not as cool as I was hoping. More Air than Space.
Sculpture outside the Air and Space Museum. A star being born? Magnetic Field diagram? Who knows. Very sciencey, though.
Interestingly, the National Museum of American History was closed for renovations, so they chose 150 pieces from the normal exhibit and had them on display in a small portion of the Air and Space Museum. And now, for your viewing pleasure:
An Edison lightbulb.
How freaking rad is that?!
Kirmit the Frog
Dorthy's slippers, and the Scarecrow. For GatPat.
Stradivari Violin, the "Greffuhle" c 1709
From the placard:
"Handcrafted by Antonio Stradivari in Cremona, Italy, this instrument represents an artistic standard of perfection recognized by classical musicians in the United States and around the world.
Of the 620 Stradivari instruments that survive, this is one of only eleven that are decorated. The inlay along the sides — an ornate motif of flowers, vines, and animals — is suggestive of eternal life and the promise of paradise. The brilliant tone of the Greffuhle (named for a French nobleman who once owned it) can still be heard today in concerts by the Smithsonian's Axelrod Strin Quartet and the Smithsonian Chamber Players."
C3PO and R2S2. Oh yeah!
Sunstone from Mormon Temple, 1844
From the placard:
"Inspired by a vision described by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints (the Mormons) this celestial limestone carving was one of thirty that adorned a grand temple built at Nauvoo, Illinois, in the 1840s.
In 1844 an anti-Mormon mob murdered Smith, destroyed the temple, and drove the congregation out of Nauvoo. The Mormon community relocated to Utah, where it flourished in the isolation of the West."
The thing that really impressed me here was, of the thousands of items museum curators had to choose from for this limited display, this Sunstone from the Nauvoo Temple was considered to be among the top 150 most representative of the Smithsonian collection. In other words, the Church is such an important part of American History, that they couldn't not include this in their display. Wow.
Monday morning saw me making my way around a couple of the Smithsonians. I started the day at the Hirshhorn Museum of Modern Art. There were some interesting pieces, but at the end of the day, I'm rather picky about what modern art I enjoy.
After the Hirshhorn I headed to the Air and Space Museum. It was ok, but not as cool as I was hoping. More Air than Space.
Sculpture outside the Air and Space Museum. A star being born? Magnetic Field diagram? Who knows. Very sciencey, though.
Interestingly, the National Museum of American History was closed for renovations, so they chose 150 pieces from the normal exhibit and had them on display in a small portion of the Air and Space Museum. And now, for your viewing pleasure:
An Edison lightbulb.How freaking rad is that?!
Kirmit the Frog
Dorthy's slippers, and the Scarecrow. For GatPat.
Stradivari Violin, the "Greffuhle" c 1709From the placard:
"Handcrafted by Antonio Stradivari in Cremona, Italy, this instrument represents an artistic standard of perfection recognized by classical musicians in the United States and around the world.
Of the 620 Stradivari instruments that survive, this is one of only eleven that are decorated. The inlay along the sides — an ornate motif of flowers, vines, and animals — is suggestive of eternal life and the promise of paradise. The brilliant tone of the Greffuhle (named for a French nobleman who once owned it) can still be heard today in concerts by the Smithsonian's Axelrod Strin Quartet and the Smithsonian Chamber Players."
C3PO and R2S2. Oh yeah!
Sunstone from Mormon Temple, 1844
From the placard:
"Inspired by a vision described by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints (the Mormons) this celestial limestone carving was one of thirty that adorned a grand temple built at Nauvoo, Illinois, in the 1840s.
In 1844 an anti-Mormon mob murdered Smith, destroyed the temple, and drove the congregation out of Nauvoo. The Mormon community relocated to Utah, where it flourished in the isolation of the West."
The thing that really impressed me here was, of the thousands of items museum curators had to choose from for this limited display, this Sunstone from the Nauvoo Temple was considered to be among the top 150 most representative of the Smithsonian collection. In other words, the Church is such an important part of American History, that they couldn't not include this in their display. Wow.
posted by granola girl at 1:13 AM
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