--- title: PHOTOS: Artifacts at the Smithsonian Black History Museum description: The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture opens on Sept. 24. Here, take a peek inside its collections. canonical: https://time.com/4494067/artifacts-national-museum-african-american-history/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-23T12:30:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:46:33.904Z article:section: History og:title: PHOTOS: Artifacts at the Smithsonian Black History Museum og:description: The museum opens on Sept. 24 og:url: https://time.com/4494067/artifacts-national-museum-african-american-history/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc79e3413ad9adfcb/6988a623cd1bbab18e70253b/160914-african-american-museum-01.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: The Proclamation of Emancipation og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: PHOTOS: Artifacts at the Smithsonian Black History Museum twitter:description: The museum opens on Sept. 24 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc79e3413ad9adfcb/6988a623cd1bbab18e70253b/160914-african-american-museum-01.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Preview the Collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Sep 23, 2016 12:30 PM UTC  "The Proclamation of Emancipation by the President of the United States, to take effect January 1st, 1863" Written by President Abraham Lincoln and published by John Murray Forbes, 1862. "The Proclamation of Emancipation by the President of the United States, to take effect January 1st, 1863" Written by President Abraham Lincoln and published by John Murray Forbes, 1862.Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Sep 23, 2016 12:30 PM UTC On Saturday, the doors of the [Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture ](http://time.com/4487318/smithsonian-museum-african-american-history-culture/)will open to the public, [achieving a goal](http://time.com/4329075/smithsonian-museum-african-american-history/) of black Americans that has been a century in the making. The 19th Smithsonian Institution was [designed](http://time.com/4494454/smithsonians-museum-african-american-history-food/) to tell the story of the United States America—from its founding to today—from an African American perspective. The museum will also challenge visitors to grapple with some of the uglier points of American history, from the slave trade to Jim Crow. “We felt it was crucial to craft a museum that would help America remember and confront, confront its tortured racial past,” said Lonnie Bunch, the director of the museum, at a press conference marking the museum’s opening. “But we also thought while America should ponder the pain of slavery and segregation, it also had to find the joy, the hope, the resiliency, the spirituality that was endemic in this community.” [_Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter_](http://time.com/newsletter) The pieces the museum houses are meant to tell the unique tale of African American resilience; from the handmade tin box a black man used to carry his freedom papers to the headgear the late Muhammad Ali used to protect his head during fights. The museum acquired some 40,000 artifacts for its collection, which curators only expect to continue to grow. Click through to see just a few of them.  "The Proclamation of Emancipation by the President of the United States, to take effect January 1st, 1863" Written by President Abraham Lincoln and published by John Murray Forbes, 1862. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture  Collection box of the Rhode Island Anti-Slavery Society, owned by Garrison family, ca. 1830s - 1850s. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Garrison Family in memory of George Thompson Garrison  Advertisement card for the "Great Negro Mart" in Memphis, Tennessee, ca. 1859-1860. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture  Tin box handmade and carried by Joseph Trammell to hold freedom papers, 1852. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Elaine E. Thompson in memory of Joseph Trammell on behalf of his direct descendants  Banner with motto of Oklahoma Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, ca. 1924. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture  Scrapbook page about the Wiley College Debate Team, 1929-1930. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Dr. Edward L. Cox  United States passport belonging to James Baldwin, issued Aug. 2, 1965. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of The Baldwin Family  Boxing headgear worn by Muhammad Ali, ca. 1973. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4494067/artifacts-national-museum-african-american-history/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4494067/artifacts-national-museum-african-american-history/"},"headline":"Preview the Collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture","datePublished":"2016-09-23T12:30:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:46:33.904Z","description":"The museum opens on Sept. 24","url":"https://time.com/4494067/artifacts-national-museum-african-american-history/","keywords":["museums","Newsfeed","photography","Civil Rights"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc79e3413ad9adfcb/6988a623cd1bbab18e70253b/160914-african-american-museum-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc79e3413ad9adfcb/6988a623cd1bbab18e70253b/160914-african-american-museum-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Proclamation of Emancipation","caption":"The Proclamation of Emancipation","creditText":"Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/museums/","name":"museums"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4494067/artifacts-national-museum-african-american-history/","name":"Preview the Collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture"}}]}] ```