Smithsonian Inaugural Collections Grow with Obama Souvenirs

Over the inaugural weekend, Smithsonian curators were among the crowds searching for significant artifacts that will later mark the historical moment. Larry Bird, a curator at American History, brought back the goods:

"I collected a homemade hat from a New Jersey woman who has promised to send it to me. is a woman's bowler-style fabric hat, black with a pink fabric brow. She had decorated it with Obama buttons of various types and sizes, along with red, white and blue rosettes made from crepe. . . I expect she will follow up soon. After the ceremony, I purchased a red, white and black Obama baseball hat and a credential-type Obama photo on a lariat from a vendor."

Watch the video above for a behind-the-scenes tour of inauguration badges, buttons and banners that date back to the time of George Washington and in the comments below, tell us about your most treasured souvenir of the day.

Beth Py-Lieberman | | READ MORE

Senior editor Beth Py-Lieberman is the author of the The Object at Hand: Intriguing and Inspiring Stories from the Smithsonian Collections.