Skip to main content

Link to Smithsonian homepage

Smithsonian Music

Main menu

  • Calendar
  • Listen
  • Learn
    • Ask Smithsonian
    • Collections Spotlights
    • Music Stories
  • Watch
  • Blog
  • Public Forum

Musical Treasures at the Smithsonian

From Louis Armstrong's trumpet to Grandmaster Flash's turntable and from a Central African harp to an Apache violin, these objects represent just a sampling of how music is collected, curated and studied at the Smithsonian. Explore these photographs, objects, and artifacts that help explain how music infuses our everyday life, brightening it with its sounds and beats.

  • Vest worn by Jimi Hendrix
  • Ensemble associated with Marian Anderson's 1939 Lincoln Memorial concert
  • Patsy Cline's Costume
  • Jacket and pants worn by MC Hammer in music video for "They Put Me in the Mix"

Remove facets below

  • Clear All
  • "United States"
  • "Clothing and dress"
  • collection
    • National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection 3
    • Clothing-Costume 2
    • Musical Crossroads 2
    • NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 053 2
    • Clothing & Accessories 1
    • Clothing-Fashion 1
    • Clothing-Historical 1
    • Cultural and Community Life: Entertainment 1
    • Music & Musical Instruments 1
    • National Treasures exhibit 1
  • topic
    • Fashion 2
    • Amusements 1
    • Civil rights 1
    • Classical (Music) 1
    • Costume 1
    • Dance 1
    • Dress accessories 1
    • Hip hop (Music) 1
    • Music 1
  • culture
    • African Americans 3
  • place
    • North and Central America 3
    • California 1
    • Central Asia 1
    • District of Columbia 1
    • Virginia 1
    • Washington 1
    • Winchester 1
  • date
    • 1930s 1
    • 1950s 1
    • 1960s 1
    • 1970s 1
    • 1980s 1

Link to Smithsonian homepage

  • About
  • Newsletter
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
Back to Top