Text By Meghan Rosen
Photos By Stephen Voss
April 14, 2026
Meteorites billions of years old, alienlike worms, a blue whale’s massive jaw bones. These are just some of the millions of marvels that the Smithsonian Institution has stashed away in storage.
Most are part of the National Museum of Natural History’s collection, which comprises nearly 150 million objects. It’s not all bones and rocks, though. The collection holds a spectacular array of biological, geological, astronomical and cultural items, some seemingly unassuming and others with undeniable razzmatazz. At the Smithsonian Museum Support Center in Suitland, Md., you’ll find both the world’s biggest mosquito collection and resplendent feathered ornaments worn by