Collections

The Smithsonian’s collections include iconic objects that tell the stories of American women, their struggles, and their accomplishments. Explore collection highlights and stories related to women and girls, or search our digital records.

Wooden hatchet featuring art of the turtle, bluebird, rooster, and swallow.
Collection Item
Women’s Christian Temperance Union Hatchet
Green book cover and white text reading "SILENT SPRING."
Collection Item
Rachel Carson
Painting of Henrietta Lacks standing against a background with a repeating geometric Flower of Life motif. She wears a hat and pearls and she holds a Bible.
Collection Item
Henrietta Lacks (HeLa): The Mother of Modern Medicine
Juliette Gordon Low wears a pink, gauzy dress and she sits for a formal painted portrait.
Collection Item
Juliette Gordon Low
Pink dress with bell sleeves and a full skirt. The dress includes beading and sequins in floral designs.
Collection Item
Natalia Flores' Quinceañera Dress
Record that reads "Commodore: Classics in a Swing. 526-A. Strange Fruit. Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra. Piano Interlude by Sonny White."
Collection Item
“Strange Fruit” Shellac Record
In this black-and-white photograph, Althea Gibson poses on a stool with two tennis rackets. Both the rackets have dark colors printed with Althea Gibson in white letters.
Collection Item
Althea Gibson
Wedding dress with high collar, a jacket with long sleeves, and many ruffles.
Collection Item
Susette La Flesche's Wedding Dress
Sylvia Rivera sits flanked by her partner Julia Murray (right) and activist Christina Hayworth at the Saturday Rally before New York’s Gay Pride Parade
Collection Item
Sylvia Rivera