Last Chance to See National Archives’ Signatures Exhibit Before it Closes January 5
Press Release · Thursday, December 11, 2014
Washington, DC
"Making Their Mark: Stories through Signatures" to close January 5, 2015
More Information
Come see "Making Their Mark: Stories Through Signatures" in Washington, DC, before it closes January 5!
Making Their Mark: Stories Through Signatures, located in the Lawrence F. O'Brien Gallery of the National Archives Museum, invites visitors to look at a signature, imagine the moment the document was signed, and realize how each one has made its mark on our American narrative. The exhibit is free and open to the public. The National Archives is located on the National Mall on Constitution Avenue at 9th Street, NW. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Please note: the Museum will be closed December 25.
Making Their Mark Family Day
Tuesday, December 30, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the Boeing Learning Center
Bring the whole family to the National Archives on Tuesday, December 30, to see the exhibit and celebrate Making Their Mark Family Day, featuring fun hands-on activities such as writing with a quill pen, Presidential Catch Phrases, and making signature hats. As a special treat, a representative from Fahrney’s Pens will be here to help with the most vexing of holiday challenges – how to write a “polite” thank you note! Family and educational programming related to "Making Their Mark" is sponsored in part by Fahrney’s Pens, Cross, and Parker Pen Company - Newell Rubbermaid.
Can't make it? Don't worry! You can see the exhibit virtually on Google Cultural Institute, dive deeper into the records with the curator’s eGuide, and then test your knowledge with our Signatures quiz.
About Making Their Mark
Signatures are personal. The act of signing can be as routine as a mark on a form or as extraordinary as a stroke of the pen that changes the course of history. It can save lives or end them. This sweeping exhibit ranges from a real "John Hancock," to the mark of an auto pen. Making Their Mark features original signatures from National Archives holdings nationwide – including those from sports, politics, fashion and entertainment – and the stories behind them.
Many of the treasured documents in the immense holdings of the National Archives are inscribed with signatures. Some of the signatures are notable, such as John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and Harry S. Truman. Other signatures are from famous and infamous individuals, such as, James Wilkes Booth, Adolf Hitler, Magic Johnson, Jackie Robinson, and Gene Kelly. Other items are important not for the individual names, but for the strength of many names signed together for a common cause.
"Making Their Mark: Stories Through Signatures" is made possible in part by the Foundation for the National Archives with the generous support of Lead Sponsor AT&T. Major additional support provided by the Lawrence F. O'Brien Family and members of the Board of the Foundation for the National Archives.
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For more information about Making Their Mark or to obtain images of the items included in the exhibition, call the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.
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This page was last reviewed on June 5, 2018.
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