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# National Museum of African American History and Culture: Collection Highlights (Photos)

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**Harriet Tubman’s Hymn Book**, c*.*1876

*Gospel Hymns No. 2, by P.P. Bliss and Ira D. Sankey*, Harriet Tubman’s personal book of hymns.Gift of Charles Blockson*Concourse 3: History Gallery "Slavery and Freedom"*

**Slave Cabin**, c. early 1800s

A weatherboard-clad cabin used during slavery at Point of Pines Plantation on Edisto Island, S.C.Gift of The Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society*Concourse 3: History Gallery "Slavery and Freedom"*

**Rosa Parks’ Dress**, c. 1955

Dress that Rosa Parks was making shortly before she was arrested for not giving up her seat on a segregated bus.Black Fashion Museum Collection. Gift of Joyce A. Bailey*Concourse 2: History Gallery "Era of Segregation"*

**Michael Jackson’s Fedora**, c. 1992

Worn during Michael Jackson’s Victory Tour.*Fourth Floor: Culture Gallery "Musical Crossroads"*

**Tuskegee Airplane**, **Boeing-Stearman PT-13D Kaydet**, c. 1944

A vintage, open-cockpit biplane that was used at Alabama’s renowned Tuskegee Institute to train African American pilots for Army Air Corps service during World War II.*Concourse 2: History Gallery "Era of Segregation"*

**Marian Anderson Ensemble**, c. 1939

The orange silk jacket and black-velvet skirt worn during Marian Anderson’s Easter Sunday performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939.Gift of Ginette DePreist in memory of James DePreist*Fourth Floor: Culture Gallery "Musical Crossroads"*

**Muhammad Ali Headgear, Fifth Street Gym**, c. 1960s

It was in this gym and the surrounding neighborhood with its vibrant mix of racial, political and cultural identities, some have argued, that Cassius Clay took his first crucial steps to becoming Muhammad Ali.*Third Floor: Community Gallery "Sports Gallery"*

**Segregation-era Southern Railway car, No. 1200**, c. 1920

A 44-seat segregated passenger car that serviced routes in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.Gift of Pete Claussen and Gulf and Ohio Railways*Concourse 2: History Gallery "Era of Segregation"*

**Nat Turner’s Bible**, 1830s

Bible owned by Nat Turner.Gift of Maurice A. Person and Noah and Brooke Porter*Concourse 3: History Gallery "Slavery and Freedom"*

***Phillis Wheatley*, Elizabeth Catlett**, 1973

Bronze life-size bust of the 18th-century African American poet Phillis Wheatley. The bust is based on the frontispiece engraving in Wheatley’s book, *Poems on Various Subjects*(1773)*Fourth Floor: Culture Gallery "Visual Arts Gallery"*

**Chuck Berry’s Cadillac**, c. 1973

The car is part of Berry’s personal fleet of Cadillacs and was driven during the filming of *Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll*, a 1987 documentary that chronicles two 1986 concerts.Gift of Chuck Berry*Fourth Floor: Culture Gallery "Musical Crossroads"*

**Glass shards and shotgun shell from the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham**, 1963

A collection of glass shards and a shotgun shell collected from the gutter outside the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., after the bombing that killed four young girls.Gift of Joan Mulholland*Concourse 2: History Gallery "Era of Segregation"*

**Louis Armstrong Selmer Trumpet**, 1946

Brass-and-gold trumpet owned and played by Louis Armstrong. This one-of-a-kind trumpet was crafted by Henri Selmer specifically for Louis Armstrong in Paris after World War II, during the French recovery period.*Fourth Floor: Culture Gallery "Musical Crossroads"*

**American Beauty Dress (silk and satin)**, c. 1958–1960

This dress is one of many garments designed by the celebrated designer Ann Lowe.Black Fashion Museum Collection. Gift of Joyce A. Bailey*Third Floor: Community Gallery "Making a Way Out of No Way"*

**Bill of Sale**, Dec. 23, 1835

An official copy receipt for the sale of a Negro girl named Polly, 16 years of age, for $600. This bill of sale transferred ownership from Martin Bridgeman to Wm H. Mood (both from Jackson County, territory of Arkansas).Gift of Candace Greene*Concourse 3: History Gallery "Slavery and Freedom"*

**Middle Passage Shackles (****wrought iron)**, c. pre-1863

Ankle shackles of the type used to restrain enslaved people aboard ships crossing the Atlantic from Africa to the Americas during the Middle Passage*Concourse 3: History Gallery "Slavery and Freedom"*

**Hope School Artifacts**, c. 1925–1954

One of more than 5,000 rural schools supported by the Julius Rosenwald Fund, the Hope School in Pomaria, S.C. Artifacts from the Hope School include its original sign, 10 desks and a wood-burning stove.Gift of Ronald Hope*Third Floor: Community Gallery "Making a Way Out of No Way"*

**Gabby Douglas Olympic Items**, c. 2003 and 2012

A leotard from Douglas’ first competitive season in 2003, which she also wore in the 2004 Virginia State Championships; the grip bag, wrist tape and uneven-bar grips she used at the 2012 London Olympics; the ticket to the Olympics used by Douglas’ mother, Natalie Hawkins; credentials used by Douglas to gain access to Olympic venues; and an autographed copy of her new book *Grace, Gold & Glory: My Leap of Faith.*Gift of Gabrielle Douglas*Third Floor: Community Gallery "Sports Gallery"*

**Angola Prison Guard Tower**, c. 1930–1940s

A 20-foot-tall tower used by prison guards to watch prisoners at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, one of the largest maximum-security prisons in the nation.Gift of Louisiana State Penitentiary*Concourse 1: History Gallery "1968 and Beyond"*

# # # 

SI-50B-2016
Media Only
Fleur Paysour

202-633-4761

paysourf@si.edu
National Museum of African American History and Culture   Newsdesk- News Releases
- Media Contacts
- Photos and Video
- Media Kits
- Fact Sheets
- Visitor Stats
- Secretary and Admin Bios
- Filming Requests
            Search Newsdesk          Search      Media Events      Anacostia Community Museum Celebrates Earth Day With Daylong ActivitiesSat., Apr. 20, 2024 10:00 am - 5:00 pmSubscribe
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         Media      -    Smithsonian National Museum of African American history and CultureCollection Highlights: Angola Prison Tower
**Guard tower from Camp H at Angola Prison**

Commissioned by: Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, 1900-1950

A 20ft. tall tower used by prison guards at Angola Prison, one of the largest maximum security prisons in the nation.
 
-    Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and CultureCollection Highlights: Bill of Sale
**Bill of sale for an enslaved girl named Polly**

Created by: H. B. Boston, December 23, 1835
 
-    Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and CultureCollection Highlights: Chuck Berry’s Cadillac
**Red Cadillac Eldorado owned by Chuck Berry**

Created by: General Motors Corporation, 1973
 
-    Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and CultureCollection Highlights: Harriet Tubman's Hymn Book
Personal hymnal of Harriet Tubman*Gospel Hymns No. 2*Composed by: Philip Paul Bliss 1876Book of hymns by P.P. Bliss and Ira D. Sankey, 112 pagesText reads "Gospel hymns No. 2, BY PP. BLISS AND IRA D. SANKEY AS USED BY THEM IN GOSPEL MEETINGS."
 
-    Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and CultureCollection Highlights: Hope School Desk
**Desk from the Hope School**

Manufactured by: A. H. Andrews & Co.,1925-1954
 
-    Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and CultureCollection Highlights: Louis Armstrong's Selmer Trumpet
**Louis Armstrong Selmer Trumpet**, 1946

Created by: Henri Selmer Paris, September 1946
 
-    Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and CultureCollection Highlights: Middle Passage Shackles
**Wrought-iron Shackles**

Created by: Unidentified

18th - early 19th century Ankle shackles of the type used to restrain enslaved people aboard ships during the Middle Passage crossing the Atlantic from Africa to the Americas
 
-    Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and CultureCollection highlights: Nat Turner’s Bible
**Bible belonging to Nat Turner**

Published by: Unidentified, 1830s

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Maurice A. Person and Noah and Brooke Porter
 
-    The Edisto Island Historic Preservation SocietyCollection Highlights: Point of Pines Cabin
**Cabin from Point of Pines Plantation in Charleston County, South Carolina**

Created by: Point of Pines Plantation, 1800-1850
 
-    Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and CultureCollection Highlights: Tuskegee Aircraft
**Training aircraft used by Tuskegee Institute**

Manufactured by: Boeing Corporation, ca. 1944
 
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