Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Art of the Stamp: Owney the Postal Dog

See Bill Bond's original painting used to create the Owney stamp.

July 20, 2011 – August 5, 2012

Collecting History: 125 Years of the National Philatelic Collection

The National Postal Museum celebrates the 125th anniversary of its National Philatelic Collection, which predates the museum by more than 100 years, with this exhibition that traces the history of this national treasure.

August 8, 2010 – January 9, 2012

Postal Museum

The Art of Cards and Letters

This gallery emphasizes the art of letter writing, a cherished art form providing a window into American history.

July 30, 1993 – June 6, 2011

Postal Museum

Victory Mail

This exhibition showcases the museum's collection of World War II V-mail correspondence.

March 6, 2008 – June 6, 2011

Postal Museum

Negro Leagues Baseball Stamp Art

View original art produced for stamps paying tribute to Negro Leagues Baseball that operated from 1920 to around 1960.

October 20, 2010 – June 5, 2011

Postal Museum

Delivering Hope: FDR & Stamps of the Great Depression

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

September 9, 2009 – June 7, 2010

Postal Museum

What's in the Mail for You! Customers and Communities

Explore the direct mail industry through this hands-on exhibition featuring interactive displays, videos, computer games, holograms, and graphics.

November 4, 1996 – January 25, 2010

Postal Museum

Treasures from the William H. Gross Collection

In honor of National Stamp Collecting Month, the museum features three great stamp rarities on loan from William H. Gross.

October 1, 2009 – October 31, 2009

Postal Museum

Art of the Stamp: Lincoln's Bicentennial

The National Postal Museum presents the original artwork for a set of four stamps commemorating the bicentennial of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln.

February 12, 2009 – October 26, 2009

Postal Museum

Lincoln, Slavery, and the Civil War

Eliot Landau's award-winning philatelic exhibition combines philately, ephemera, and artifacts in an engaging exploration of Lincoln's presidency, the Civil War, and Black History.

March 6, 2009 – March 8, 2009

Postal Museum

Rarity Revealed: The Benjamin K. Miller Collection, Part II

On view in Part II of this exhibition are U.S. stamps printed from 1894 to the 1920s from the Benjamin K. Miller Collection.

November 5, 2007 – March 1, 2009

Postal Museum

Trailblazers & Trendsetters: Art of the Stamp

See 76 original artworks commissioned by the United States Postal Service during the last 50 years for stamps that pay tribute to American history.

November 16, 2006 – August 17, 2008

Postal Museum

Out of the Mails

Learn how Americans circumvented the official post during the Revolutionary War era.

December 14, 2006 – January 31, 2008

Postal Museum

Disaster: Response and Recovery

This exhibition reveals how the Postal Service responds to disasters -- natural or manmade -- that dramatically affect everyday life in an instant.

June 27, 2007 – January 25, 2008

Postal Museum

Rarity Revealed: The Benjamin K. Miller Collection, Part I

Part I of this exhibition features U.S. stamps from before 1894 from the Benjamin K. Miller Collection.

May 27, 2006 – October 1, 2007

Postal Museum

On the Road

Learn about the history of city mail delivery vehicles from the first tests in 1899 to the present.

December 23, 2004 – July 13, 2007

Postal Museum

In the Line of Duty: Dangers, Disasters, and Good Deeds

This exhibition surveys the dangers faced by the nation's postal workers, honors their individual acts of heroism, and celebrates the U.S. Postal Service's involvement in a program that distributes pictures of missing children to tens of millions of homes each week.

October 8, 2003 – January 2, 2007

Postal Museum

War Letters: Lost and Found

Original letters from the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam reveal that extraordinary history is contained in these letters.

November 11, 2005 – November 13, 2006

Postal Museum

Artistic License: The Duck Stamp Story

A rotating selection of objects from the collection of Jeanette Cantrell Rudy sheds light on the Federal Duck Stamp program.

June 28, 1996 – June 30, 2006

Postal Museum

John Lennon: The Lost Album

To mark the 65th anniversary of John Lennon's birth and National Stamp Collecting Month, the museum presents Lennon's childhood stamp album.

October 6, 2005 – April 10, 2006

Postal Museum

Stamps Take Flight

Learn about the creative processes and printing techniques behind America's stamps as illustrated by stamps with air and space themes, including an "Inverted Jenny."

March 15, 2005 – March 19, 2006

Postal Museum

Forwarding Address Required

Cards and letters exchanged between Japanese-American children sent away to internment camps during World War II and their San Diego librarian revealed the role of the mail as a civil liberty and witness to history.

May 4, 2001 – October 17, 2005

Postal Museum