Oral & video history documentation

The Lemelson Center's oral and video history projects increase historical documentation on invention and innovation in the United States.
Above: Guitarist G.E. Smith is featured in the Electric Guitar Video Documentation Project. Smithsonian photo by Jeff Tinsley.

Full descriptions of the following collections may be found by searching the archives and manuscripts section of SIRIS, the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Unless otherwise noted, all collections are housed in the NMAH Archives Center. For further information, contact the Archives Center Reference Desk.

Oral & video history documentation is listed in alphabetical order by subject of interview. Date of interview is in parentheses.

Jules Olitski / Mark Golden lecture (1997) Jules Olitski is a major figure in American painting and Mark Golden is a paint manufacturer and president of Golden Artist Colors, Inc. These tapes document Jules Olitski and Mark Golden delivering a lecture entitled "The Artist's View: Color, Technology, and Style in Postwar Art" as part of the Center's "Colors of Invention" symposium held at NMAH in 1997. This lecture and discussion offer an unusual look at how the invention of new pigments, often at the urging of artists, together with new methods of application, advance the vocabulary and depth of painting. 0.25 cu. ft.: contains original master, and reference audiotapes. See related article »