Rainy Afternoon at the Smithsonian Photo Gallery by Helen Betts at pbase.com

Rainy Afternoon at the Smithsonian

Since the weather was cold and rainy on Sunday, we decided to visit the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and National Museum of the American Indian. I have always enjoyed the natural history museum but wasn’t overly impressed with the native American museum when I first visited it in 2009, after it first opened. It’s nicer than I remembered but seems more intent on presenting text than artifacts. Still, it was worthwhile to revisit it and learn more about our indigenous peoples’ culture and the shameful way the US government has treated them over the centuries.

Tim and a friend	Butterflies feasting on cantaloupe	Wearing a blue morpho	Posing
A kiss for a butterfly	Resting	Shoulder patch	In flight
Camera bug	Complementary	Butterfly barrette	Pretty wings
Matching	Dom Pedro aquamarine	Hope Diamond	Chalk Emerald
Logan Sapphire	Burmese rubies before and after	American Golden Topaz, 22,892.5 carats	Hazen Diamond Necklace
Hooker Yellow Diamond Necklace	Hooker Emerald	Post Diamond Tiara	Hall Sapphire Necklace
Cullinan Blue Diamond Necklace	Post Emerald Necklace	Bismarck Sapphire	Mackay Emerald
Marquise Diamond Ring	Clagget Bracelet	Lit up mineral	Elbaite
National Museum of the American Indian	Copper basket, Potomac Atrium	Dome over Potomac Atrium	Indian Chief motorcycle, 1948
The horse	Mile marker, The Black Snake in Sioux Country, 2016	Treaty exhibit	Loon mask, 1981
Mystery mask	Wampum	‘Nations,’ 2002, Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Utah	Cast of characters
National Museum of African American History and Culture	Fitting view	Chuck Berry’s El Dorado	'Soul Train' sign
'The Mothership'	'Blue Horse'	'Leveling the Playing Field' exhibit	'Men of color, to arms!'
Crazy lines