Vicecapades 150th Anniversary of the 1873 Comstock Act Past Exhibit … An Act for the Suppression of, trade in, and circulation of obscene literature and articles of immoral use known as the Comstock Act Anthony Comstock (1844–1915), a self-appointed guardian of public morality, successfully lobbied Congress for stricter obscenity laws and secured an appointment as a special agent to the United States Postal Service with broad powers to police the mails. The law did not define obscenity—Comstock did. In …

Celebrating Anna May Wong Past Exhibit … “I want to be an actress, not a freak.” Anna May Wong Film legend Anna May Wong’s talent could not be contained by the racist casting of early Hollywood movies. Born Wong Liu Tsong in Los Angeles in 1905, Wong ditched school to sneak onto film sets. She appeared in her first film at age 14 and quickly became a star. Although frustrated by the Asian stereotypes she was forced to play, she appeared in over 60 films and became the first Chinese American international …

Mr Santa Claus Romance of the Postal Service Past Exhibit … This holiday featured film is one of a series of silent movies produced by the Post Office Department in 1921. The mini melodrama shows how the postal service helps make a happy Christmas for a boy and his sister when their “Dere Sandy Claws” letter is answered by a young married couple. Mr. Santa Clause, 1921. Records of the Post Office Department. NAID: …

Bring Them Home Uncle Sam Ongoing Exhibit … Soldiers arrive home aboard the S.S. Haverford as the transport ship pulls into Philadelphia, 1918. Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs More than two million American service members were overseas with the American Expeditionary Forces when the guns fell silent on November 11, 1918, ending World War I. Americans would continue to serve in Germany as part of the Allied Occupation until 1923, but many were quickly demobilized. The service …

Constitution Day The Full US Constitution Current Exhibit … For the first time in history, the entire United States Constitution is on display, celebrating 250 years of American Freedom. In celebration of 250 years of American Freedom, the entire U.S. Constitution and the original Bill of Rights is surrounded by 17 Constitutional amendments, filling the Rotunda at the National Archives in Washington, DC in a dramatic and highly visual display. This marks the first time in history the entire U.S. …

SpymasterinChief George Washingtons Wartime Espionage Current Exhibit … George Washington’s Revolutionary War Account Book, 1775-1783. National Archives, General Records of the Department of the Treasury View in the National Archives Catalog George Washington’s Revolutionary War Account Book, 1775-1783. National Archives, General Records of the Department of the Treasury View in the National Archives Catalog During the Revolutionary War, a large network of colonial spies worked in secret to disrupt British …

Road to Revolution Current Exhibit … Road to Revolution  is a rotating exhibition series highlighting National Archives records that document major milestones and critical historical context to the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Annotated Map of the British Colonies in North America with the Roads, Distances, Limits and Extent of the Settlements, ca. 1775. Records of Boundary and Claims Commissions and Arbitrations View in the National …

National Inventors Day Marjorie S Joyner Past Exhibit … Marjorie S. Joyner and her students from Madame Walker Beauty School, 1925 Courtesy of the Chicago Public Library   Among the first African American women to receive a patent, inventor Marjorie Stewart Joyner had an influential career as a teacher and activist. Born in 1896 in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Marjorie Stewart moved to Chicago in 1912. Four years later, she was the first African American to graduate from the A. B. Moler Beauty …