The Spencer F. Baird Papers are the combination of several different deposits. One group was originally labeled "Private" by the Smithsonian Institution Archives at the time they were received. Another group came to the Smithsonian from Lucy Hunter Baird (Baird's daughter), or from her estate after her death.

This biographical file was maintained by the United States National Museum's Department of Geology and several of its curators. Included in the file are biographies, obituaries, memoirs, and memorial service programs and addresses of prominent scientists, particularly American geologists and paleontologists, as well as some notable Smithsonian...

The collection documents the customs and culture of black gospel song and its performance in 19th- and 20th-century America. Dr. Reagon collected photographs, sheet music, and other primary and secondary sources chronicling the development and legacy of this medium, from the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement, from blues to Gospel to classical to jazz. Among the subjects included in this collection are trailblazers such as Charles Tindley, Thomas A. Dorsey, Rosetta Tharpe, Duke Ellington, and Nathaniel Dett. Noted performers are the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the Harmonizing Four, the Hampton University Choir, and the Chick Webb Orchestra.

This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.

These records constitute the morgue files for the Science Service, and as such contain past articles, press releases and other materials produced by the Science Service. In addition are supplemental photographs, news clippings, scientific papers and articles, obituaries and related topical information. Files are categorized according to Libra...

The papers of art critic, editor, and gallery director Sidney Woodward date from 1823 to 1963, bulk 1915-1932, and measure 3.5 linear feet. The majority of the collection consists of personal and professional correspondence and collected letters that pertain to Woodward's relationships with various artists, galleries, and arts organizations. Also included in this collection are two biographical documents; lecture notes and collected writings; printed material including books relating to the topic of art, exhibition catalogs, and newspaper clippings; a few personal photographs and reference photographs of paintings; and scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, art reproductions, and printed material from the Casson Galleries.

The Chuck and Jan Rosenak research material dates from circa 1938-2008 and measures 17.6 linear feet. The collection contains research files for four books by the Rosenaks and includes letters, writings, notes, printed matter, tape-recorded interviews with artists, and photographic material.

The papers of art historican August Jaccaci measure 7.2 linear feet and date from 1889 to 1935, with the bulk of the material dating from 1904 to 1914. The collection documents Jaccaci's work as an art historian, writer, and editor, primarily during the period he researched, compiled, and published his book Noteworthy Paintings in Private American Collections. More than one-half of the collection consists of extensive correspondence to and from many notable artists, collectors, and art historians, including John La Farge, Kenyon Cox, Isabella Stewart Gardner, and Bernard Sickert concerning the research and publication of the book. The papers also house legal files, writings and notes, art collection research files, and photographs of artwork.

Records include some correspondence belonging to Mary Agnes Chase, which was forwarded to Swallen; Ernest R. Sohn, associate curator of Botany, 1956; and Thomas R. Soderstrom, curator of Grasses, 1964-1965. Correspondents include U.S. and foreign botanists; agricultural experiment stations; field botanists; state geological surveys; fores...

This collection includes papers concerning entomology and zoology; criticisms of fellow scientists' manuscripts; identification of specimens; bestowal of honors; requests for separates of papers, recommendations, and personal appearances; snapshots of specimens; and correspondence from four continents, some in French, German, Italian, and Span...