Maned Wolf Pups Born January 5

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute 

in Front Royal, Virginia (SCBI-FR), celebrated the 

new year with the birth of four maned wolf pups 

on January 5. 

This is the first litter born at SCBI-FR in two 

years, and will play an important role in helping 

researchers maintain a viable, self-sustaining 

population under human care.

“Every pup born here helps us understand more about the biology of this incredible species,” said Nucharin Songsasen, a SCBI 

research biologist. “SCBI has a long history with 

the maned wolf, both in terms of studying the 

biology and maintaining the genetic diversity of 

individuals living under human care, as well as in 

conserving the animals in the wild.”

The four pups were born to Salina, an eightyear-old female, and Nopal, a four-year-old male 

that, like the pups, also was born at SCBI-FR.

On Facebook, voters named the female Bella with 

281 votes, and the male Rocko with 699 votes. 

Donors named the other two wolf pups Hope and 

Peak.

The Smithsonian’s collections reflect the depth and diversity found in the 

Institution’s mission, vision, and values. The following pages highlight exciting 

additions to the science collections, as well as a look at the Smithsonian’s 

collection of historic, artistic, and cultural artifacts related to the sinking of the

Titanic.

COLLECTIONS HIGHLIGHTS

Inspiring Generations Through Knowledge and Discovery

Smithsonian Libraries Acquires 

Bonsai Art & Nature

Dr. Jonathan Singer has donated to Smithsonian 

Libraries a unique, over-sized portfolio version 

of his book Bonsai: Art & Nature (New York: 

Abbeville Press, 2012). With unprecedented 

access to public and private collections in Japan 

and the U.S., Dr. Singer combined his interest in 

botany and horticulture with his technical and 

aesthetic expertise to produce stunning photographs of some of the most extraordinary bonsai 

in the world. Printed by a chromogenic process, 

the images have a three-dimensional appearance that accentuates both the beauty and the 

usefulness of this specialized subject.
NASM Receives Buzz Lightyear Flown In Space

Space-ranger Buzz Lightyear, of Toy Story fame, became 

part of the National Air and Space Museum’s popular 

culture collection in March 2012. Disney Parks partnered 

with NASA to send Buzz Lightyear to the International 

Space Station. Interactive games, educational worksheets, 

and special messages were created to encourage students 

to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and 

mathematics (STEM). The action figure will go on display 

in the museum’s “Moving Beyond Earth” gallery in the 

summer.

“We are pleased to welcome Buzz Lightyear into the 

National Collection; very soon space shuttle Discovery—

his ride to space—will join him,” said General Jack Dailey, 

director of the museum. “We feel that Buzz Lightyear’s 

popularity with young people will make him an important 

addition to our educational mission and a valuable asset in 

achieving STEM educational goals.”

Launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery

and returned 15 months later, this 12-inch 

action figure Buzz Lightyear is the longestserving toy in space.

Titanoboa was discovered by a team of 

scientists working in one of the world’s 

largest open-pit coal mines at Cerrejón in La 

Guajira, Colombia. 

Replica of Titanoboa on View

At 48 feet long and weighing an estimated oneand-a-half tons, a realistic 

replica of the world’s largest 

snake is on exhibit at the 

National Museum of Natural 

History until January 2013. 

Scientists believe that a 

colossal snake related to 

modern boa constrictors 

thrived in a hot tropical 

climate some sixty million 

years ago, in the era after 

the mass extinction of the 

dinosaurs.

The exhibition includes 

the snake replica and 

two vertebra casts made 

from the original fossils 

of a 17-foot-long modern 

green anaconda and the 

vertebra from Titanoboa, 

as the giant snake is called. 

Videos tell the story of this 

amazing scientific discovery with scenes from the 

Smithsonian Channel’s 

two-hour special Titanoboa: 

Monster Snake, which 

premiered on April 1, 2012.

The life-size replica of 

Titanoboa was revealed 

to the public for the first 

time on March 22 in New 

York City’s Grand Central 

Terminal.

Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji 

Hokusai: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji is on view 

at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery from March 24 

through June 17, 2012. The exhibition highlights the 

acclaimed woodblock print series by Japan’s most 

famous artist, Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849).

Detail, Under the Wave off Kanagawa, by Hokusai.

2
3

Smithsonian Celebrates the Acquisition of Space Shuttle Discovery

The National Air and Space Museum 

is planning a festival of activities 

— Welcome Discovery — to celebrate 

the acquisition of the Space Shuttle 

Discovery. The festival will begin when 

the orbiter arrives in the Washington, 

D.C., area on April 17 and will feature 

four days of space-related activities, 

including performances, appearances by 

space pioneers, films, and displays at the 

shuttle’s new home, the Steven F. UdvarHazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. 

Activities at the Center will kick 

off on April 19 when Discovery will be 

officially transferred from NASA to the 

Smithsonian in an outdoor ceremony 

open to the public. The Welcome 

Discovery festival is presented in cooperation with NASA. 

Discovery's final crew, the six astronauts who flew the STS-133 

mission in March 2011, bid their spacecraft farewell. From left 

to right: mission specialists Nicole Stott, Michael Barratt, Steve 

Bowen and Alvin Drew, pilot Eric Bow and commander Steven 

Lindsey. Photo courtesy of collectSPACE.

Collectors Group Sponsors Spectacular Demantoid Gemstone Acquisition

The National Museum of Natural History accepted a generous gift of a spectacular demantoid gemstone. The beautiful cushion-cut gemstone weighs 

11.24 carats and displays the very rare and highly prized intense emerald 

green color. This gemstone was recently discovered in the central Ural 

Mountains near Ekaterinburg, Russia, and is one of the largest and finest 

faceted demantoids in existence. Demantoid gemstones have been found in 

Italy, Iran, and Namibia, but the Russian material continues to be the standard by which the gem is judged. This new addition to the collection is one 

of the largest and finest demantoids in existence, and came as the result of 

the creation of the new Smithsonian Gemstone Collectors group, whose philanthropic role is to support the acquisition of major gemstones, gem-quality 

crystals, and minerals by the museum. 

SONG 1 Transforms Hirshhorn

For nearly eight weeks this spring, internationally 

renowned artist Doug Aitken is illuminating the entire 

facade of the Hirshhorn’s iconic round building, transforming it into “liquid architecture” and an urban 

soundscape. Using 11 high-definition video projectors, Aitken seamlessly blends imagery to envelop 

the museum’s exterior, creating a work that redefines 

cinematic space. A bold commission that will enter 

the Hirshhorn’s permanent collection and enliven its 

public space, SONG 1 allows visitors to the National 

Mall a chance to witness the first-ever work on a 

360-degree convex-screen cinema.

SONG 1 mesmerizes from sunset to midnight. 

Gems larger than a few 

carats are extremely 

rare. 
4

Technology for Collections Care: Protecting Male Gorillas against Cardiac Disease

Cardiac disease is the leading cause of death in adult male gorillas in captivity, and the Smithsonian’s 

National Zoological Park (NZP) has taken a lead role in investigating this disease. In conjunction 

with the Great Ape Health Project, the NZP animal health team implanted an ILR (Implantable Loop 

Recorder) under the skin of two clinically healthy, sub-adult male gorillas, Kwame and Kojo. An ILR is 

a small, thumb drive–sized programmable device that is the size of a that can be utilized to continuously record EKG data. This study has many goals: to monitor the heart health of two gorillas that 

have a high likelihood of developing cardiac disease; to investigate normal cardiac rates and rhythms 

in fully awake male gorillas; to identify electrocardiogram (EKG) changes prior to the development 

of clinical signs of cardiac disease; to initiate medical treatment at an earlier stage; and to apply the 

knowledge gained to saving the entire species. 

By using this latest technology while these valuable animals are still young and healthy, scientists 

can establish normal rate and rhythms in fully awake gorillas. Once normal data is collected and 

analyzed, even minute changes in the electrical impulses of the heart can be identified, and appropriate treatments initiated at a much earlier stage. This information will improve not only the Zoo’s 

ability to care for its gorillas, but the care of captive gorilla populations as a whole. Of special note 

is the skilled care by Kwame and Kojo’s caretakers, who quickly trained both Kojo and Kwame to 

present their ILRs to the keepers. It is the first time that data from gorillas can be downloaded wirelessly without the need for anesthesia — an incredible breakthrough on several fronts.
5

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Sinking of the RMS Titanic: 

Objects in the Smithsonian’s Collections 

The RMS Titanic struck a North Atlantic iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on the evening of April 14, 1912, 

and slipped below the waves at 2:20 a.m. on April 15. When the Cunard Liner RMS Carpathia

arrived at the scene about two hours later, only a few lifeboats of survivors were found in the 

28F degree water.

The Smithsonian collections hold many important — and poignant — objects both from and 

related to the Titanic. Several have been featured in recent articles and talks, and others are 

included in the National Postal Museum’s commemorative exhibition Fire and Ice: Hindenburg 

and Titanic. Some of the many Titanic-related objects in the Smithsonian collections are highlighted on the following pages.

National Postal Museum

The National Postal Museum opened Fire and Ice: Hindenburg 

and Titanic on March 22, 2012, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster and the 100th anniversary of 

the Titanic’s sinking. The Hindenburg was the largest flying post 

office ever, and the RMS Titanic—Royal Mail Ship Titanic—was 

the largest floating post office of its day. The Postal Museum 

exhibition notes the many similarities between the two disasters 

and features many extraordinary artifacts, including a rare piece 

of mail sent from the Titanic.

Sea Post Clerk John Starr March’s 

Pocket Watch 

This pocket watch with an engraved 

gold-plated case was found on the 

body of John Starr March (1861–

1912), an American sea post clerk 

assigned to the Titanic. The watch’s 

hands point to 1:27, probably having 

stopped on the morning of April 

15, 1912, as the ocean liner sank 

in the North Atlantic. Eyewitnesses 

stated that the ship’s postal clerks 

worked to rescue the mail as the 

ship was going down. None of 

the five postal clerks survived the 

disaster, including March; two other 

American clerks, Oscar Scott Woody 

and William Logan Gwinn; and two 

British postal clerks James Bertram 

Williamson and John Richard Jago 

Smith. March’s body was recovered, 

and his effects, including this watch, 

were returned to his two daughters.

Sea Post Clerk Oscar S. Woody’s Set of Keys

These three keys and 24-inch chain were recovered from the body of 

American Sea Post Clerk Oscar Scott Woody, one of the Titanic’s five postal 

clerks. The keys were returned to Woody’s widow along with his other 

personal effects. The Eagle Lock Company manufactured the largest of the 

three keys, which was used to open a mailbag lock. 
6

Underwood & Underwood for just $10 and a promise to develop, 

print, and return her pictures after use. Her father was extremely 

upset when he learned that she had virtually given away exclusive 

pictures of Titanic survivors and the iceberg that sank the famous 

ocean liner. Eventually, Underwood & Underwood returned 

the camera, negatives, and prints to Bernice, and, in 1986, she 

donated her camera, the pictures, the Underwood contract, 

contemporary newspaper articles, and her remarkable story to 

the Smithsonian.

To the left is Bernice Ellis’s Brownie camera; below is her 

photograph of the iceberg the Titanic struck. She wrote the 

following on the back of the photograph:

Titanic struck a North Atlantic iceberg at 11:40 PM in the 

evening of 14 April 1912 at a speed of 20.5 knots (23.6 MPH). 

The berg scraped along the starboard or right side of the 

hull below the waterline, slicing open the hull between five 

of the adjacent watertight compartments. If only one or two 

of the compartments had been opened, Titanic might have 

stayed afloat, but when so many were sliced open, the watertight integrity of the entire forward section of the hull was 

fatally breached. Titanic slipped below the waves at 2:20 AM 

on 15 April. The Cunard Liner RMS Carpathia arrived at the 

scene around two hours after Titanic sank, finding only a few 

lifeboats and no survivors in the 28F degree water. Bernice 

Palmer took this picture of the iceberg identified as the one 

which sank Titanic, almost certainly identified by the survivors 

who climbed aboard Titanic. The large iceberg is surrounded 

by smaller ice floes, indicating how far north in the Atlantic 

Ocean the tragedy struck.

received a Kodak Brownie box 

camera, either for Christmas 

1911 or for her birthday on 

January 10, 1912. In early April, 

she and her mother boarded 

the Cunard liner Carpathia in 

New York for a Mediterranean 

cruise. Carpathia had scarcely 

cleared New York when it 

received a distress call from the 

White Star liner Titanic on April 

14, 1912. It raced to the scene 

of the sinking and managed to 

rescue over 700 survivors from 

the icy North Atlantic. With 

her new camera, Bernie took 

pictures of the iceberg that 

sliced open the Titanic’s hull, 

as well as snapshots of some of 

the Titanic survivors. 

Unaware of the high 

value of her pictures, Bernice 

sold the publication rights to 

National Museum of American History

The National Museum of 

American History holds 

one of the most important 

Smithsonian artifacts related 

to the Titanic: Bernice Palmer’s 

Kodak Brownie camera.

Sometime around her 17th 

birthday, Canadian Bernice Ellis 
7

Smithsonian American 

Art Museum

The collections of the 

Smithsonian American Art 

Museum hold several objects 

of significance with regard 

to the sinking of the Titanic, 

including one painting recently 

acquired by the museum: a 

painting by Francis “Frank” 

Millet, who died in the Titanic 

disaster.

During the January 22, 

1908, meeting of the Board 

of Regents, Secretary Walcott 

recommended to the Board 

that they establish an advisory committee for the new 

National Gallery of Art (now 

the Smithsonian American 

Art Museum). The committee met for the first time on 

April 16, 1908, and artist Frank 

Millet was selected to serve as 

chairman. 

Among the business 

items addressed during the 

meeting was the disposition 

of the monumental sculpture 

of George Washington by 

Horatio Greenough, which the 

members recommended be 

relocated from the east lawn 

of the Capitol building to the 

Smithsonian “until it shall find a 

place in the National Gallery of 

Francis D. Millet (1846-1912), Room Interior with Winding Staircase, oil on 

board, gift of the James F. Dicke Family 

Artist unknown, Sinking of the 

Titanic, after 1912, oil on glass 

with mother-of-pearl collage, gift 

of Herbert Waide Hemphill Jr. and 

museum purchase made possible by 

Ralph Cross Johnson 

Art where it properly belongs.” 

The sculpture now resides 

in the National Museum of 

American History.

The meeting also was 

notable in that the Committee 

went with the Secretary to 

the White House to call on 

President (and former Regent) 

Theodore Roosevelt. 

The museum also owns a 

folk art piece about the sinking 

of the Titanic. Created by an 

unknown artist sometime after 

1912, the work reflects the 

impact of the disaster on the 

psyches of people, including 

artists, around the globe.
8

Archives of American Art

The Archives of American Art also hold objects related to the 

Titanic. Among its over 15 million original materials is a letter 

of condolence from author Henry James to the widow of artist 

Francis Davis Millett, who perished on the Titanic. As previously 

noted, Millet was the chair of the first advisory board of what 

later became the Smithsonian American Art Museum. 

Also in the Archives are the papers of artist Gertrude 

Vanderbilt Whitney. Her designs for the Titanic memorial in 

Washington, D.C., are in the collection. This sculpture, currently 

located on the Washington waterfront, was dedicated by the 

women of America to honor the men who lost their lives on 

the Titanic. Above are two of Whitney’s sketches for the Titanic

memorial.