inside the archives: storage at the smithsonian natural history museum

inside the archives: storage at the smithsonian natural history museum
(above) feather identification expert roxie laybourne, amidst a portion of NMNH’s bird collection
all images by chip clark, courtesy of the smithsonian natural history museum

the collections of the national museum of natural history (NMNH) in washington, D.C hold the largest catalog of the smithsonian’s reference materials. these acquisitions aid museum staff in the exploration and understanding the planet, biological and cultural diversity, evolutionary relationships, conservation, and global change.

over the course of his decades at the smithsonian, the museum’s chief photographer chip clark documented the departments and storage facilities otherwise unseen to public view. he photographed everything from dinosaurs and mummies to diamonds, butterflies, and his fellow staff members. inside the archives, drawers spill open in the entomology department to reveal colorful butterflies carefully placed on shelves; feather identification expert roxie laybourne is photographed amidst the museum’s exotic bird collection; and a peek inside the mammal storage area shows giant whale bones kept on reserve. take a look at a selection of images below, and more from the archive of images here. 

the entomology department 

the botany/algae department 

the mineral sciences department 

the botany department 

the invertebrate zoology department 

the paleobiology department 

the anthropology department 

mammals (whale) storage facility