Search Instructions

The search ignores capitalization; if you type your terms in all caps you will get the same results as all lowercase. If you are not sure how to spell a term or want to broaden your search results, you can use a "%" (percent sign) in place of the missing letter or letters. For example, typing "%atlin" in the box for artist's last name will return Catlin, while the string "Gi%n" will return works by Giaquinto, Gibson, Gilbertson, Gil de Montes, and Gilpin. The same principles apply to title and keyword searches.

Keyword Search

Use a keyword search to find works on subject themes; for example, you might search for images of Niagara Falls or scenes of immigration. You can also search for works made of certain materials (glass or watercolor) or by an art process (photography or sculpture).

Keyword results are based on specific terms used in our collection database. If you enter a term and don't find what you want, search for records by artist or title and set display to "long information" to see standard keywords; then try those terms in your next search. You can also consult our Subject Term Manual (148K, pdf), a guide to our subject terms.

What Is an Accession Number?

When the Smithsonian American Art Museum acquires an artwork, the registrar's office gives it a unique identifier known as an "accession number." A SAAM accession number usually has three parts, each separated by a period.

1. the year an artwork was acquired (accessioned)
2. the lot number
3. the individual item number, if the lot contained more than one artwork

For example, 1969.47.61 is the accession number for Edward Hopper's People in the Sun. By decoding the number, you can see that this painting was the 61st object within the 47th lot to be accessioned in 1969.

For lots containing a single artwork, the museum uses only the first 2 parts of the number. As an example, see 2002.3, Monekana by Deborah Butterfield. This sculpture was the only object acquired in the third lot in 2002.

While exceptions occur, most accessions follow the basic pattern described above.

Finding Objects by Accession Number

If you know the accession number of an object, just type it in. If you know only the beginning, type in as much as you know followed by a "%" (percent sign). For example you can find all numbers beginning with 2000 by typing "2000%".

Displaying Results

The collections search screen gives you the option to view only those records with an online image or to view records for all objects in the museum's collection. You can also decide how much text you want to see. If you want to browse the collection quickly, set your screen to display "short information." If you want more details for each artwork, select "long information."