Encyclopedia Smithsonian

Artful Abe is an online scavenger hunt that takes you from outdoor sculptures of Abraham Lincoln around America to discover related artworks in the collection of the American Art Museum.

Learn the facts about each of our nation’s presidents. It’s a great place for browsing, research, or homework help.

OurStory is designed to help children and adults enjoy exploring history together through children’s literature, everyday objects, and hands-on activities.

The Smithsonian asks and answers questions about science, art, history and culture every day. Test your SI—Q!

The National Portrait Gallery marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War through a series of four alcove exhibitions -- one each year -- commemorating this period of American history. The first of these exhibitions recounts the death of Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, a friend of President Lincoln, in Alexandria, Virginia.

On view is the letter George Washington wrote on November 30, 1785, to David Stuart, a trusted associate and stepfather to Washington's grandchildren.

Explore the life and legacy of our 16th president through objects from the museum's collection.

To celebrate Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, the museum hosts 10 rare and important documents from the Springfield library and museum.

This exhibition displays multiple images of the presidents of the United States, including Gilbert Stuart's "Lansdowne" portrait of George Washington.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, president during the Great Depression, used stamps to communicate with the American people.

This exhibition highlights the role of the first lady and features in two galleries a total of 24 first ladies' gowns and more than 100 other objects, including portraits, White House china, and personal possessions from the Smithsonian's collection.

A look at the Washingtons from the perspective of their contemporaries.

To celebrate Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, the museum showcases the rarely exhibited White House's copy of the Gettysburg Address.

This exhibition features approximately 100 photographs -- beginning with the era of the Beatles to 9/11 -- by New York-based, Scotland-born photographer Harry Benson.

This exhibition reveals how one of America's greatest political cartoonists—Herbert Lawrence Block—viewed the American presidency for most of the 20th century.

Thomas Jefferson's “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth" provides insight into his religious and moral beliefs.

See 16 stamps from Roosevelt's collection, including several bearing his own designs.

This one-room exhibition chronicles Ronald Reagan’s early years in Illinois through his acting and political career, to his presidency from 1981-1989.

To commemorate the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, this exhibition provides many faces of Lincoln from the museum's collection, a collection that charts Lincoln's passage from a fresh-faced Illinois congressman to his grizzled isolation as president.