Browse Projects
Horses and Grooms Crossing a River
In this short handscroll, artist Zhao Mengfu depicts three grooms and fifteen horses in various postures crossing a river. By combining the colorful realism of the Tang dynasty (618-907) with the ink line drawing of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127) literati tradition, Zhao Mengfu established a new direction for his fellow painters during the transitional years of the late thirteenth century. While the painting does not exhibit the superb skill and fluency of the artist's genuine works, it is probably a close copy of an original composition by Zhao and may have been executed by one of his more accomplished followers. Help make this beautiful handscroll more accessible for researchers around the world by transcribing the Chinese characters. Please note: Freer Sackler staff are ONLY asking for the transcription of the text this collection, so please transcribe using the corresponding Chinese characters (you will need a basic knowledge of Chinese and access to a Chinese language keyboard for this). You do not need to transcribe the red stamped seals. Translation and transliteration are also not needed, and staff have requested that images not be described. Please reach out with any questions.
Jacques Seligmann & Co. records, General Correspondence: Miscellaneous U, 1923-1973
Letters with miscellaneous correspondents from the General Correspondence subseries of the Jacques Seligmann & Co. records. The Jacques Seligmann & Co. records in the Archives of American Art are among the world’s foremost resources for provenance research. The collection documents the business dealings of international art galleries which were active for nearly a century, and contains invaluable information for tracing the provenance of works of art which passed through the Jacques Seligmann & Company holdings.
Jacques Seligmann & Co. records, General Correspondence: Miscellaneous V: Vi, 1926-1965
Letters with miscellaneous correspondents from the General Correspondence subseries of the Jacques Seligmann & Co. records. The Jacques Seligmann & Co. records in the Archives of American Art are among the world’s foremost resources for provenance research. The collection documents the business dealings of international art galleries which were active for nearly a century, and contains invaluable information for tracing the provenance of works of art which passed through the Jacques Seligmann & Company holdings.
National Numismatic Collection - Chinese Bank Notes, Set 1
Ready for a new challenge volunpeers? Help us transcribe Chinese Bank Notes from the Smithsonian's National Numismatic Collection (NNC). Established in the mid-19th century, several of the earliest additions to the NNC were artifacts from Japan, Korea, and China, including coins and medals gifted to President Ulysses S. Grant from Japanese Emperor Meiji (received in 1881) and the 2,025 East Asian coins, amulets, and notes from George Bunker Glover’s private collection (received in 1897). These donations were the foundation of the NNC’s East Asian holdings, which continues to grow with new acquisitions, such as the Howard F. Bowker collection in 2017. The NNC is now working to digitize 6,000 Chinese notes and paper transactional objects that range from the Ming Dynasty to the present day. One of the main challenges to the digitization process is transcription, transliteration and translation of several Asian alphabets. Sometimes this can be done quickly, but often the process is too lengthy for NNC team members to complete while moving the project forward efficiently. In order to continue to share these objects rapidly, we need your help! The transcription of these bank notes will help NNC staff figure out how best to make these objects available and more easily searchable online. Please visit the special instructions for this project before beginning transcription.
National Numismatic Collection - Chinese Bank Notes, Set 2
Ready for a new challenge volunpeers? Help us transcribe Chinese Bank Notes from the Smithsonian's National Numismatic Collection (NNC). Established in the mid-19th century, several of the earliest additions to the NNC were artifacts from Japan, Korea, and China, including coins and medals gifted to President Ulysses S. Grant from Japanese Emperor Meiji (received in 1881) and the 2,025 East Asian coins, amulets, and notes from George Bunker Glover’s private collection (received in 1897). These donations were the foundation of the NNC’s East Asian holdings, which continues to grow with new acquisitions, such as the Howard F. Bowker collection in 2017. The NNC is now working to digitize 6,000 Chinese notes and paper transactional objects that range from the Ming Dynasty to the present day. One of the main challenges to the digitization process is transcription, transliteration and translation of several Asian alphabets. Sometimes this can be done quickly, but often the process is too lengthy for NNC team members to complete while moving the project forward efficiently. In order to continue to share these objects rapidly, we need your help! The transcription of these bank notes will help NNC staff figure out how best to make these objects available and more easily searchable online. Please visit the special instructions for this project before beginning transcription.
Yamada Diary
Help us transcribe this WWII Japanese diary. At the end of World War II, an unknown United States Marine brought home several Japanese-language items. These items were subsequently sold and the purchaser's son later donated them to the National Air and Space Museum. In 2003 and 2004, Museum volunteers, Mr. Koji Hayama and Mr. Tom Momiyama, translated parts of the material and they believe that they were created by a Mr. Yamada, who was probably part of an aircraft ground crew with occasional flight duties, and served in Manchuria, Korea, Burma, and the Philippines. Transcriptions of this diary will help National Air and Space Museum curators as they begin research for new exhibits. Please note that this diary is written in Japanese, and requires access to a Japanese keyboard, and basic knowledge of the language, for transcription. NASM staff are also interested in any translations that can be provided of the diary's contents. Please separate any translations by including them below the transcriptions for each page, and by indicating the translation with brackets. For example: [[translation]] text here [[/translation]]. Please reach out with any questions.
