These papers document Robert Tyler Davis' education and career, 1918-1977. The majority of the material is dated 1937- 1977. A fair amount of incoming correspondence illustrates Davis' personal life, and, to a lesser extent, his professional career. Of special note are letters from Davis' second wife, Janet, and journals kept during his t...

The papers of Doris Mable Cochran include manuscripts, notes and data on herpetology; material concerning specimens received by the Division of Reptiles and Amphibians; photographs of reptiles and amphibians; personal material including clippings, photographs and material related to her education and Smithsonian career; personal correspondence...

Rudy Arnold (1902-1966) was introduced to photography in 1918. After studying at the New York School of Photography, he worked at the New York Journal-American and the New York Graphic. During his stint at the latter he started to focus on aviation photography. In 1928, Arnold started his own aviation photography business and worked out of the following New York air fields and airports during his career: Roosevelt Field, the old Curtiss Airport, Floyd Bennett Field, and LaGuardia Airport His coverage of a wrecked airliner in upstate New York was the first photograph sent by wire to newspapers across the country. Arnold's work appeared in every aviation magazine, house organs (Douglas, Grumman), and mass circulation magazines as well as many newspapers. He also did motion-picture camera work for Universal and Paramount.

Papers, 1959-1987, of Elizabeth Gordon, editor of the periodical, House Beautiful from 1941-1964, mostly related to her research for the August and September 1960 issues of House Beautiful regarding the Japanese aesthetic concept of "shibui", and the subsequent travelling "shibui exhibition" from 1961-1964. Included are correspondence, some photocopies, 1959-1963; notes; drafts for articles and lectures; printed material including magazine and newspaper clippings, 1959-1987; 2 books, and exhibition announcements; drawings of paper and foil art; a photo album containing photos of exhibition installations; and photographs, slides, color transparencies, and lantern slides depicting people, sites, and objects reflecting the "shibui" aesthetic.

The Smithsonian Institution Festival of American Folklife, held annually since 1967 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1998. The materials collected here document the planning, production, and execution of the annual Festival, produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (1999-present) and its predecessor offices (1967-1999). An overview of the entire Festival records group is available here: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records.

The collection documents Gabler's involvement in the recording industry and the evolution of Commodore Records. The documentation begins with the Commodore Radio Shop through its evolution to Commodore Music Shop. The collection also includes the beginnings of the Commodore record label and information detailing Gabler's 30 years as staff producer and later Vice-President in Charge of Artists and Repertoire at Decca Records (1941-1974). There is a small collection of black and white photographs chronicling the early years at the Commodore Music Shop, as well as jam sessions, often held at Jimmy Ryan's on 52nd Street. The collection also includes a vast array of audio recordings (mainly audiodiscs).

This collection consists of fifteen photographic prints depicting individuals from Hunkpapa Lakota (Hunkpapa Sioux) and Yanktonnai Nakota (Yankton Sioux) communities, and dating from approximately the 1870s and 1880s.

Slides taken in Nigeria, 1965-67, a few years after independence and at the eve of the Biafra War by Edwin R. and Emily Dean. Emily Dean took most of the photographs. She taught at the St. Louis Secondary School. The images are typical for the time period (note that some of them are half frame images, taken with a type of camera heavily promoted in the 1960s). Geographic locations reflect the Deans' experiences and travel: the University of Ibadan Campus, the Jos Museum, Bida , Zaria, Kano, Lagos, and Abeokuta. Of particular interest is a series of Adire production in Abeokuta, the old palace at Idanre and the Timi of Ede's Shango shrine.

The records document Messmore and Damon's work in the design and construction of parade floats, museum dioramas, exhibitions, displays and scenery. The materials include business records, photographs, patents, scrapbooks, promotional materials, sound recordings and moving image.