Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Candid photo of Elena Terry smiling holding a white dish full of colorful beans, peppers, and corn tilted away from her.

How Chef Elena Terry Revisited Heritage Seeds to Cultivate Hope

Ho-Chunk Chef Elena Terry cultivates and cooks with ancestral seeds that were preserved despite forced tribal relocations. She focuses on providing opportunities to community members to eat and prepare traditional tribal foods as a method of healing.

Selfie of Joy Dean in her flight helmet. Clouds are reflected in the visor.

These Groundbreaking Pilots Made History 30 Years Ago as the First American Women to Fly Combat Missions

Launching from the deck of the USS Eisenhower, these women showed that being a good aviator has nothing to do with gender

Design of the quarter with Zitkala-Ša from the waist up holding a book. The words “author, activist, composer” are beside her.

Zitkala-Ša, Native American Rights Activist, Honored on New Quarter

Zitkala-Ša, “Red Bird,” Gertrude Simmons Bonnin: an activist, author, and composer who fought for citizenship and sovereignty for Native Americans is honored on a quarter as part of the American Women Quarters Program.

Candid black and white photo of people walking down the street. Two women face the camera in the foreground under an awning with the words “The First Women’s Bank” on it.

How the Equal Credit Opportunity Act Transformed Women's Economic Power

Learn about Emily Card, Jeanne Hubbard, Stephanie Lipscomb, and Rosemary Reed—four women whose stories about financial independence demonstrate the importance of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 and the phenomenon of women’s banks.

An illustration of a new species of phyla with a cone shaped bottom and thin tendrils coming out of the top.

Science Illustration: A Creative Door for Early Women in Science

Learn about Violet Dandridge, Aime Motter Awl, Carolyn Bartlett Gast, and Marilyn Schotte: four women from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Department of Invertebrate Zoology who broke through the gendered barriers of science and made significant contributions to scientific discovery through art.

A black-and-white photograph of Fannie Lou Hamer carrying a sign and holding an umbrella over her head.

Fannie Lou Hamer and the Fight for Voting Rights

Learn about Fannie Lou Hamer, a voting rights activist whose vision for an inclusive political future laid the groundwork for the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Six women sitting closely together posing for the camera. They are wearing uniforms with light skirts and dark jackets and an armband with the letter C on it.

Lee Miller's Legacy: From Fashion Model to War Correspondent

Lee Miller, who captured some of the most harrowing photographs of World War II, started as a model and Surrealist photographer. Learn about her life and legacy that has inspired a major motion picture.

A black-and-white photograph of seven women standing on a flight of stairs. Mae Reeves stands to the farthest right on the lowest step and wears a white hat and floral patterned handbag.

Five Women to Know for American Business Women's Day

Learn about Mae Reeves, Anna Bissell, Estée Lauder, Maggie Walker, and Sara Sunshine—five women from Smithsonian collections who ran businesses and made history.

A black silhouette of a jumping woman against a colorful fabric background.

Foregrounding Fiber in American Art

The Renwick Gallery’s newest exhibition, Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women, showcases artists who used everyday materials such as cotton, felt, and wool to tell deeply personal stories and offer an alternate view of American art.

A group of thirteen people stand together in front of green shrubs and the Smithsonian Castle.

Because of Her Story Interns Uplifted Women’s History Across Smithsonian

See what projects the Because of Her Story interns worked on this summer to amplify and uplift American women’s history across the Smithsonian.

Elizabeth Babcock from the waist up against a white background. She is leaning against a wall with her arms crossed in front of herself.

Plans, Partnerships and Powerful Women: An Interview with Director Elizabeth Babcock

In this interview, Elizabeth Babcock discusses her goals for her first year as founding director of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, plans for building successful partnerships, and the women who have inspired her and surprised her

Adidas soccer ball autographed by the gold medal Women's National Soccer team from the 2012 Olympics.

The Gold Standard: How These Iconic Olympic Athletes Inspired and United Us

Get a behind-the-scenes peek at objects from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History sports collection. Watch as actress Rosario Dawson relives Olympic gold memories and discusses the inspiring future of women’s sports with curator Eric Jentsch

Painted portrait of Cresse Crosby. Her short dark hair stands out against the light background.

On the Trail of American Women in Paris

Learn what motivated curator Robyn Asleson to put together the exhibition Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939, at the National Portrait Gallery.

A black-and-white image of Diane Nash at the podium with men and a woman sitting on either side of her in chairs. Nash stands in the center of the image behind the podium labeled [L.R. HALL/ AUDITORIUM] speaking into the microphone.

Excluded from National Leadership, Black Women Were the Backbone of the Civil Rights Movement

In honor of the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, read about three Black women who worked and sacrificed to keep the movement going.

Marian Pettibone with short grey hair and glasses sits at a lab bench in front of a microscope. There are files and specimen bottle on shelves behind her.

Dr. Marian Pettibone Discovered and Described New Forms of Oceanic Life

The first female curator in the National Museum of Natural History Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Dr. Pettibone described 172 species and fought for the recognition of women in science.

Candid color photo of Audre Lorde from the shoulders up standing at a microphone and podium.

Learn More About LGBTQ+ Women With These Podcasts, Paintings and Portraits

Learn about four LGBTQ+ women who were featured in projects across the Smithsonian

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