An official website of the United States government                

----

end of header

# History

###### You are here: Census.gov ›  History ›  Reference › Data@Museums › Dallas Historical Society

Skip top of page navigation

                - History Main
                - Agency History                    - Director Biographies
                  - Census Facilities
                  - Suitland, MD
                  - Notable Alumni
                - Innovations                    - Data Collection
                  - Technology
                - Programs                    - Agriculture
                  - Demographic
                  - Housing
                  - Economic
                  - Geography
                  - Governments
                - Through the Decades                    - Fast Facts
                  - Overview
                  - Index of Questions
                  - Questionnaires
                  - Census Instructions
                - Genealogy                    - Decennial Census Records
                  - Other Resources
                - Reference                    - Data@Museums
                  - Artifacts
                  - Lesson Plans
                  - Legislation
                  - Maps
                  - Oral Histories
                  - Privacy & Confidentiality
                  - Apportionment
                  - Publications 
                - Home Page Archive                    - 2024
                  - 2023
                  - 2022
                  - 2021
                  - 2020
                  - 2019
                  - 2018
                  - 2017
                  - 2016
                  - 2015
                  - 2014 
                - FAQs                    - Genealogy
                  - Agency History
                  - Demographic
                  - Economic
                  - Governments
                  - Agriculture
                  - Geography
                  - Innovations
                  - Miscellaneous

### Data@Museums

### Also in this Section:

                          - The History Center in Tompkins County
                          - Mel Fischer Maritime Museum
                          - Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum
                          - Occoquan Mill House Museum
                          - Pettis County Historical Society & Museum
                          - Texarkana Museum of Regional History
                          - Dallas Historical Society
                          - Renton History Museum
                          - The Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society
                          - George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M University
                          - Pella Historical Society and Museums
                          - Frazier History Museum
                          - William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum
                          - Smith-McDowell House Museum
                          - Jesse Owens Museum and Park
                          - Lane County Historical Museum
                          - Vermont Historical Society
                          - Cleveland History Center
                          - Anacostia Museum
                          - Morgantown History Museum
                          - Plymouth Museum
                          - Chrysler Museum of Art
                          - Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
                          - Basque Museum & Cultural Center
                          - National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
                          - Museum of Work and Culture
                          - Northwest African American Museum
                          - River Road African American Museum
                          - Big Horn County Museum
                          - The Computer History Museum
                          - The Historical Society of Chesire County
                          - Glore Psychiatric Museum 
                          - Elmore County Historical Society and Museum
                          - Mark Twain Museum
                          - Bainbridge Island Historical Museum
                          - Passaic County Historical Society
                          - Institute of Texan Cultures
                          - Lower East Side Tenement Museum
                          - Minnesota Historical Society
                          - Heritage Sandy Springs
                          - Gaithersburg Community Museum

## Dallas Historical Society

The Dallas Historical Society used census records to tell thestory of Texas photographer Polly Smith and her family.Photo courtesy of Dallas Historical Society.

The Dallas Historical Society in Dallas, TX, used census records and data to tell the story of 27-year-old Texas photographer, Polly Smith.  In 1936, Smith accepted her first professional assignment to photograph the entire state of Texas, crisscrossing the state by air, rail, and automobile.  The 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition featured her images and many are permanently displayed in the Dallas Fair Park's Hall of State.

The images that are not part of the Hall of State's exhibit are part of the Dallas Historical Society's collection and form the basis of their exhibit, "Polly Smith: A Texas Journey."  The society used census records to paint a picture of both Polly and her family—including the places they lived, their occupations, and their lifestyles. They also discovered that Polly was one of only 360 women photographers (out of 1,428 total) in Texas.

Polly had a close connection to the U.S. Census Bureau—her mother, Minnie Burck Smith, was one of the first female enumerator supervisors from 1919–1935.  In 1968, her brother, C.R. Smith, became the Secretary of Commerce, the agency that oversees the Census Bureau.
To learn more about Polly Smith and her family, visit the Dallas Historical Society.
CONNECT WITH US**********- Information Quality
- Data Linkage Infrastructure
- Data Protection and Privacy Policy
- Accessibility
- FOIA
- Inspector General
- No FEAR Act
- U.S. Department of Commerce
- USA.gov

Measuring America's People, Places, and Economy
✕Is this page helpful?YesNo✕NO THANKS255 characters maximum255 characters maximum reached✕Thank you for your feedback.Comments or suggestions?   Source: U.S. Census Bureau | Census History Staff |  Last Revised: February 20, 2024