Stories

Read about the Smithsonian's latest scholarship on American women's history, get inspired with stories from our collections, and see other updates.

Jane Harmon and Gladys Tantaquidgeon stand next to each other and look at the camera. They wear loose 1920s era clothing with Indigenous accents, including belts and headbands

Portrait of Jane Harmon (Nanticoke) and Gladys Tantaquidgeon (Mohegan), 1922. Frank Gouldsmith Speck photograph collection, National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.

Story

Women Who Helped Heal and Strengthen Their Communities

Colorful illustration of Carmen Herrera opening a box

Carmen Herrera illustrated by Ezra Gaeta.

In Awe of the Straight Line: A Webcomic about Artist Carmen Herrera

Joan W. Nowicke reviews a botanical sample. She wears a lab coat.

Joan W. Nowicke, former botany curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Women of the U.S. National Herbarium

Art of Yolanda M. López as the Virgin of Guadalupe. She wears running shoes and holds a snake in one hand. In the other hand she holds a wide piece of fabric that fans out behind her.

"Portrait of the Artist as the Virgin of Guadalupe” by Yolanda M. López from her Guadalupe series. Archives of American Art, Tomás Ybarra-Frausto research material on Chicano art, 1965-2004. Donated by Ybarra-Frausto in 1997 and 2004.

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Remembering Artist and Activist Yolanda M. López

Digital painting of Ethel Earley Clark smiling as she adds a flower into an overflowing arrangement

Ethel Earley Clark illustrated by Escher Cattle.

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Eight Women to Know in Horticulture History

Screenprint of Lydia Mendoza playing the guitar, looking directly at the camera

“Lydia Mendoza, Ciudad Juarez, 1937” by Ester Hernández, 1987. Screenprint on paper. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquisition made possible through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. © 1987 Ester Hernández

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The First “Queen of Tejano” and Six More Women to Know this Hispanic Heritage Month

Yellow skate card with photo of Cindy Whitehead in a skate helmet on the left, her name and expiration date on top, and on the right the words: Marina Del Rey Skatepark

Skate card for Marina Del Ray Skate Park used by Cindy Whitehead. National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Nine Women's History Stories to Explore with Middle School and High School Students

Dee Smith greets a man in an NYPD jacket and another man wearing a hard hat.

Dee Smith greets members of the New York Police Department at the "Taj" feeding station during an event. Image via National Museum of American History.

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Learn the Story of Volunteer Dee Smith’s 9/11 Disaster Response Through Her Jacket and Pins

Black and white photo of Mary McLeod Bethune seated and wearing a suit

Addison N. Scurlock, "Mary McLeod Bethune", 1939. Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Test Your Knowledge with Our "Women in Education" Quiz

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