Are you thinking of going Back to December (Smithsonian’s Version) on this warm, July day?   This print, “Twilight Snow” by artist Mabel Pugh, is found in the @americanart collection. This artwork was created using a technique called linoleum printmaking which is when a design is cut into a piece of linoleum. The artist applies ink and then presses the design onto paper, revealing a mirror image. This process gives the artist the ability to replicate the design over and over again.   Mabel Pugh, “Twilight Snow,” n.d., linoleum cut on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Band kids know “one more time from the top” never means just one more time. 🎵 This 1930s photo of a school band in Bordentown, New Jersey, was taken by Lewis Hine. He left his work as an educator to raise awareness about child labor in the U.S. through photography. He also documented relief work during World War I, construction of the Empire State Building, and scenes of the Great Depression. It’s in the collection of our @nmaahc. P.S. Educators, get ready for an exceptional professional learning opportunity. Our free National Education Summit takes place July 18-20 and you can join online or in person. Register now to save your spot: s.si.edu/EducationSummit2023 (Tap the link in our bio.) #SmithsonianEdu 🎥 Video of a black-and-white photograph of a seated school band playing a song. The teacher has his arms raised to conduct.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you need a beach day? This 1907 painting by Maurice Prendergast in our @hirshhorn's collection is one of the many he painted of Saint-Malo Beach in France. Prendergast was known for his use of bright colors and beach settings.

Fireworks that won't freak out your dog. 🐶 Nicknamed the Fireworks Galaxy, the spiral galaxy NGC 6946 is 22 million light years away from Earth. At least 10 supernova explosions have occurred in NGC 6946, and not one of them upset your pet. This image comes from NASA's @nasachandraxray Observatory. Chandra is a telescope that detects X-ray emission from very hot regions of the Universe such as exploded stars, clusters of galaxies, and matter around black holes. Because X-rays are absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, Chandra must orbit above it in space. This composite image also includes optical data from the Gemini Observatory. Experts at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory operate the satellite, process the data, and share it with scientists around the world. Happy #IndependenceDay!

The Fourth of July holiday celebrates the ideals of a new nation outlined in the Declaration of Independence—"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." In an 1852 speech titled, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" abolitionist Frederick Douglass praised these ideals but emphasized they did not extend to all: "This Fourth of July is yours, not mine, You may rejoice, I must mourn." This portrait is from the collection of our @smithsoniannpg.

So long and thanks for all the fish. We're closing out #WorldOceansMonth with this @smithsonianarchives photo taken by Carl Hansen in 1989 at @smithsonianpanama. Did you know the Smithsonian is doing groundbreaking research on tropical ecosystems in Panama? In the Bocas Del Toro province, marine scientists focus on mangroves, seagrasses, coral reefs, the taxonomy of invertebrates, and the impact of human activity on coastal ecosystems and species like bottlenose dolphins.

“My name is Mrs. Maisel. Thank you and goodnight!” Rachel Brosnahan wore these costumes in the first season of the series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," which premiered in March 2017. Her character Miriam “Midge” Maisel wears the blue nightgown and pink housecoat in the pilot episode when she performs her first comedy set, and the black dress in the season one finale when she launches her professional comedy career. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, "Mrs. Maisel" has won multiple Emmys and received critical praise for its nuanced portrayal of mid-20th century women’s life, urban Jewish identity, and the 1960s comedy scene. Costume designer Donna Zakowska earned acclaim for creating beautiful and historically accurate clothing that helped to advance and support the series’ narrative. These pieces are now in our @amhistorymuseum's collection, though they are currently backstage and not on view.

In the early 20th century, Henrietta Swan Leavitt made a discovery that helped astronomers measure the distance to faraway stars. This important work eventually led to our understanding that the Milky Way is one of many galaxies and the universe itself is expanding. Leavitt was one of dozens of women at the Harvard College Observatory who worked as human computers, analyzing the vast amount of photographic data from telescopes around the world. As a result of early illness, Leavitt experienced hearing loss and eventually deafness, something she had in common with fellow computer Annie Jump Cannon. While Cannon classified stars by their colors and spectra, Leavitt excelled at examining photographic data and spotting stars that varied in brightness. More than 100 years after her death, historians and creators are reckoning with the devaluation and erasure of Leavitt's contributions to astronomy. With @smithsoniantranscriptioncenter, Project PHaEDRA gives you access to Leavitt and other astronomers' notebooks. In this portrait, "The Leavitt Crater" (2014) from @smithsoniannpg, Aura Satz superimposed Leavitt's image with a photo of a lunar crater named in her honor.

In this quiet scene from a #Pride weekend, Sylvia Rivera sits between her partner Julia Murray (right) and fellow activist Christina Hayworth. Luis Carle took this photo, now in @smithsoniannpg, at the Saturday Rally before New York’s Gay Pride Parade in 2000. Rivera participated in the Stonewall uprising on June 28, 1969, a key moment in the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. But she faced racism and discrimination as a Latina transgender woman from the mostly white cisgender male leadership of the Gay Activist Alliance that she campaigned with. With Marsha P. Johnson, she started an organization for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness in New York City, with a focus on supporting people of color. #SmithsonianPride 📸: © Luis Carle

Without silicon chips, your cellphone would just be a metal-and-plastic box. Silicon is the backbone of the chips that act as your phone’s “brain.” It’s found nearly everywhere (about 90% of the Earth’s crust contains silicon), much of it in minerals like quartz, shown here. Silicon is called a semiconductor because it neither conducts nor insulates electricity—it’s somewhere in the middle. When precise amounts of other materials are added to silicon, its conductivity changes, allowing current to stop or flow. Silicon microchips are covered with transistors, which switch between two states, often indicated as “off” and “on” (or the 0s and 1s of computer language). Millions of transistors working together allow your phone to perform complex tasks. You can see this mineral, plus learn how your phone influences your life and connects you to the natural world, in @smithsoniannmnh's new exhibition "Cellphone: #UnseenConnections."

Play I Spy in our @SmithsonianGardens and you’ll spot lots of cozy pollinator habitat, including meadows and logs. Pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths and beetles make life on Earth possible by moving pollen grains from one flower to another. This #PollinatorWeek, look out for pollinator homes in your community. Video description: Outdoor sign explaining where pollinators live at different stages of their life cycle and scenes of gardens featuring flowers, bark, a bird bath, decorative urn, and paths, nestled among Smithsonian museum buildings. 🐝 🦋

I’m *flying* on sunshine, woah! 🎵 Birds photobombed this image of the Sun by flying in front of the telescope at the @airandspacemuseum’s Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory, making a silhouette. This Saturday, June 24, grab a glimpse of the Sun during our free #SolsticeSaturday celebration on the National Mall. Join @smithsoniannmai, @nmaahc, @hirshhorn, @natasianart, @smithsonian_africanart, @airandspacemuseum, @smithsoniannmnh, @smithsoniangardens, and @amhistorymuseum all day AND late into the night for some sunny activities. For full event details, including a Glow Night Arcade Party at our Arts & Industries Building and stargazing with @hofstrau, check out si.edu/SolsticeSaturday Have a great first day of summer!