Americans have long been fascinated by the disappearance of the Roanoke colony, founded on the Outer Banks of modern North Carolina in the mid-1580s. But it was not the only European colony to be abandoned. Historian Peter C. Mancall explores Roanoke and other lesser-known examples of disappeared colonial efforts, from Nunavut (Baffin Island) in the 1570s to the coast of Maine in 1606/1607 and as far south as the Atlantic coasts of northeastern South America.
Travel the world with the summer edition of Sketching the Smithsonian as you take an artful break and explore the fascinating, vast collections of this extraordinary museum.
Explore the brilliance of Louis Comfort Tiffany, a leading figure of late-19th and early-20th-century American design. Known for his stained-glass windows, signature lamps, and innovative glasswork, Tiffany transformed decorative arts into fine art through his bold experimentation with color and light. Art historian Janetta Rebold Benton, a lamp collector herself, examines his creative vision, his studios, and his relationship with his father, Charles Lewis Tiffany of Tiffany & Co., revealing how Tiffany’s luminous creations continue to captivate admirers today. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Learn to use the iPad, Apple Pencil, and Procreate for illustration and animation. Students get an introductory lecture on the basics of digital art production, demonstrations, and experience drawing in Procreate on an iPad.
The War of 1812 is among the most misunderstood wars in American history. Historian Richard Bell argues its causes, course, and consequences have long been obscured by the American Revolution and the Civil War. More than the conflict that inspired the national anthem says Bell, it was a defining moment in a young republic, establishing American credibility abroad, securing independence, shaping national identity, entrenching states’ rights, and unleashing imperial ambitions—all at extraordinary human cost.
Philosopher Ben Bramble argues that we are often told humanity’s destiny lies beyond Earth—complete with Martian cities, asteroid mining, lunar industries, and even “backup planets.” Drawing on his book Lunacy: Ten False Promises of the New Space Age, he contends that many of these visions rest on misunderstandings about risk, progress, and what truly makes a human future genuinely good. If we care about humanity’s long-term flourishing, he suggests we should look less to Mars—and more carefully at our own planet.
After the devastation of World War II, Italy transformed into one of Europe’s great economic success stories of the 1950s and 1960s by embracing Western consumerism. Through globally popular films, advertising, and design, the country projected an image of modernity, elegance, and pleasure that captivated international audiences. Lecturer Adam Tanner examines how the myth of la dolce vita forged during these boom years continues to shape how Italy is imagined, both at home and abroad.
Between 1400 and 1800, the people of Europe, Africa, and the Americas grew more connected by overseas trade and colonization. According to historians Christopher Hodson and Brett Rushforth, accounts of this transformative era have overlooked the reach of the pre-Napoleonic French Empire. Hodson and Rushforth, authors of Beyond the Ocean: France and the Atlantic World from the Crusades to the Age of Revolutions, examine the significant role that France played in the history of the Atlantic world and the ways it shaped France in return.
Art historian Laura Morelli illuminates the vibrant world of the Etruscans, an ancient Italian people often shrouded in mystery despite their rich and distinctive cultural legacy. Drawing on masterworks of painting, sculpture, and metalwork uncovered in central Italian tombs, she reveals how the Etruscans envisioned the afterlife and adorned their burial spaces with remarkable luxury items. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Learn the techniques needed to create fine mosaic jewelry as you make silver-plated mosaic pendants using mosaic gold, smalti, semiprecious stones, stained glass, and millefiori.
