presidential relics

Little Golden Books and Presidential Hair

You know how that is.

You go on-line in search of one thing and, an hour or two later, realize you’ve ended up somewhere else equally or far more interesting.

That’s, happily, where I found myself today.

I went over to the  Smithsonian Institution’s website in search of information about an exhibition titled Souvenir Nation: Relics, Keepsakes and Curios at the Smithsonian Castle, which features some choice mementos from the collection, such as a brick from George Washington’s childhood home, a piece of Plymouth Rock and a nicely-framed collection of presidential hair.

Smithsonian Presidential Hair

Hair of the Presidents, 1855 Courtesy National Museum of American History

As I prepare for the October 1 publication of my own book about museum objects (Hidden Treasures: What Museums Can’t or Won’t Show You), I was pleased to see that this is an ongoing exhibit, so made plans to see it next time I’m in town.

While on the Smithsonian website, I discovered another must-see exhibition at the National Museum of American History. This one is all about the Little Golden Books many of us had as children.

In addition to an on-line exhibition telling the story of these inexpensive and colorful children’s books, there’s a fun Flickr collection with more than dozen images from some classic Little Golden Books in the series.

Among my favorites: The Taxi That Hurried

The Taxi that Hurried

Taxi that Hurried 2