Generations D.C.
Generations D.C. offers fresh perspectives on familiar Washington, D.C., landmarks by pairing historical images with stories of the laborers, activists, artists, and communities who helped shape those places. The exhibition looks beyond dominant historical narratives to uncover lesser-known people and moments connected to sites including the White House, the Smithsonian Castle, the Washington Monument, the U.S. Capitol, and Ford’s Theatre.
Organized for the 250th birthday of the United States, the exhibition includes artworks and artifacts researched by George Washington University students. Their work grew partly from Professor Max van Balgooy’s course, “Interpreting Historic Sites and House Museums,” in which students wrote interpretive labels, with additional texts developed by student employees at the museum’s Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies. Featured stories include Theodore Roosevelt’s 1901 dinner with Booker T. Washington and the preservation work of Lorraine Waxman Pearce, the first White House curator.
When: On view through November 7, 2026.
Venue: The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.
Tickets: Price not available.
Exhibition focus: The exhibition presents historical images, artworks, and artifacts relating to Washington, D.C., sites and the generations of people whose work and experiences shaped them.
Featured material: The page shows works and images including a detail of an approximately 1850 view of the Patent Office, Carlos Carmonamedina’s *Georgetown from the Potomac River*, Edward Sachse’s 1871 *View of Washington City*, Currier and Ives’s 1865 *The Assassination of President Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre, Washington, D.C.*, and Richard Haas’s 1983 *View of the Mall from the Castle*.
Exhibition programs: The page lists an Open House: Generations D.C. on Saturday, October 3, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; another Saturday program on October 10 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.; and bookings available Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. It does not provide further descriptions for the latter two listings.
Organization: The exhibition was organized by the Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies with support from the Albert and Shirley Small Family Foundation.