The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. was formally established on August 10, 1845, and over the years has amassed more than 157 million items across 21 museums and galleries. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History houses artifacts related to national elections and the presidency. We offer a look at some of the most unusual.
All images courtesy of The Smithsonian Institution unless otherwise noted
1. Bandana Featuring Excerpts from George Washington’s Farewell Address
In which Washington encouraged all Americans to put aside regional and party divisions in support of the newly formed republic. Observed Washington, “Your Union ought to be considered as a main prop of your liberty, the love of the one ought to endear you to the preservation of the other.”
2. Presidential Hair Cabinet
John Varden, keeper of collections for the National Institute for the Promotion of Science at the U.S. Patent Office, began collecting locks of hair from prominent individuals in 1850 and quickly amassed a collection that included presidents, senators, artists, and other luminaries. Varden’s presidential hair collection includes strands from George Washington and Franklin Pierce.
3. Cast of Lincoln’s Face and Hands
Abraham Lincoln was selected as the Republican candidate for president on May 18, 1860. Two days later, Lincoln sat for a plaster casting of his hands by Chicago artist Leonard Volk, who had created a plaster cast of Lincoln’s face a month earlier. Lincoln’s right hand was still swollen from shaking hundreds of hands at the Republican Party Convention, so he cut off a small piece of broom handle to steady his hand in the mold, which Volk included in the resulting cast. In 1886, Volk’s son sold the casts of Lincoln’s face and hands to a group that planned to have renowned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens make a limited set of replicas. Two years later, the group presented Volk’s original plaster casts of Lincoln’s hands and face, along with bronze replicas created by Saint-Gaudens, to the U.S. government for preservation. The donation was made on the condition that “the original casts should never be tampered with.”
4. William McKinley/William Jennings Bryan Soap Figures
The presidential election of 1896, between Republican William McKinley and Democrat William Jennings Bryan, was one for the ages. Emotions ran high, and campaign items for both sides numbered more than 2,000. Among the most unusual were these “soap babies” of the two candidates, which included a tag promoting each candidate’s policies. Sadly, soap babies never caught on as an election gimmick because people thought they looked too much like babies in coffins.
5. Teddy Bear Inspired by Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt was an outdoorsman, and proud of it. But when presented with an opportunity to shoot a bear that had been chained to a tree, he refused, calling it unsportsmanlike. That moment inspired a 1902 editorial cartoon by Clifford Berryman, which in turn inspired the Ideal Toy Company to create the very first teddy bear. The story about the chained bear served Roosevelt well, portraying him as both masculine and compassionate.
6. Dwight Eisenhower’s Uranium Trowel
On November 8, 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower participated in the dedication of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission’s headquarters building in Germantown, Maryland. Eisenhower and other attending dignitaries were given special trowels, some of which contained radioactive elements. Specifically, the blades were uranium from the world’s first nuclear reactor, the ferrule and stem were zirconium from the assembly of the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, and the handle was crafted out of wood from the west stands of Stagg Field at The University of Chicago, where the first human-made nuclear reaction was achieved on December 2, 1942. To calm Secret Service concerns over radiation safety, the uranium trowels were replaced with silver-plated trowels for the dedication ceremony.
7. John F. Kennedy Inaugural Parade Periscope
The inauguration of John F. Kennedy on January 20, 1961, heralded a bright new age for the country. Though it was a bitter 22 degrees Fahrenheit the day of Kennedy’s inauguration, huge crowds turned out for the festivities. To help people in the back better view the parade, special cardboard periscopes reading “JACK” and “Souvenir of Washington D.C. Inaugural” were distributed to spectators. The periscopes, when you can find them, are now coveted collectibles.
8. Lyndon B. Johnson Dart Game
Many political items are made to promote a particular politician or party, while an equal number serve to demonstrate disapproval. Such was the case with this 1967 dart game, which features Lyndon Johnson’s face at the target. The game typified public opposition to Johnson’s escalation of the war in Vietnam.
9. Nixon and Mao Ping-Pong Paddles
It was huge news when Richard Nixon traveled to the People’s Republic of China in 1972 to open full diplomatic relations with the communist nation. Prior to his visit, Nixon arranged a series of table-tennis matches between Chinese and American players, which the press referred to as “Ping-Pong diplomacy.” These commemorative paddles, featuring the faces of Nixon and Mao, illustrate the importance of those preliminary ping-pong matches in bringing the U.S. and China together.
10. Bottle of W Ketchup
George W. Bush’s opponent in the 2004 presidential race was Sen. John Kerry, whose wife, Teresa Heinz, was related to the Heinz family, which manufactured ketchup and other food products. A group of New York City Republicans didn’t want their presidential candidate seen using ketchup manufactured by his opponent’s family, so they created W Ketchup, which bore the slogan: “You don’t support Democrats. Why should your ketchup?” The condiment was sold primarily online, and ceased production in 2015.
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