Existing comment:
Reproduction of pages from James Smithson's will, dated October 23, 1826
Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives
The Smithsonian is the largest cultural organization in the United States and includes this museum. James Smithson, a British scientist, bequeathed his fortune to "found at Washington . . . an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." Along with funding from taxpayers, Americans sustain the Smithsonian with gifts of time, money, objects, and professional expertise. |