Mar
17

Today in Smithsonian History: March 17, 1977

Wake Island Rail (Gallirallus wakensis) by J. Fenwic Lansdowne

Wake Island Rail (Gallirallus wakensis) by J. Fenwick Lansdowne

March 17, 1977 “Rails of the World: Paintings by J. Fenwick Lansdowne” opens at the National Museum of Natural History. The exhibition contains 42 paintings, representing 132 species of birds, combining art and science with meticulous realism in watercolors by the artist and naturalist. A widely distributed family of long-toed marsh birds, rails include coots, gallinules, crakes and soras. The paintings were created to illustrate the book “Rails of the World,” written by Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley.

Related posts:

Entrance to the renovated Bird House at the National ZooGet a sneak peek at the Zoo’s new beak retreat this week Baseball stampICYMI: Highlights from the week of April 4 – April 8, 2022 detail from photo of Henson interview from 1983A few of my favorite things: Pam Henson Giant pandas at the National ZooThe Wide World of Smithsonian Scientific Research

Posted: 17 March 2019
About the Author:

The Torch relies on contributions from the entire Smithsonian community.