The Spirit of Invention: Patent Office and Patentees

The Spirit of Invention: Patent Office and Patentees commemorates the founding of the historic Patent Office, the building that now houses the National Portrait Gallery. Presented in connection with the U.S. semiquincentennial, the exhibition uses portraits, daguerreotypes, lithographs, and other works from the museum’s collection to explore the Patent Office’s early history, its role in promoting American innovation, and the architecture of its Washington, D.C., home.

The exhibition highlights inventors, patentees, architects, and Patent Office employees, including President Andrew Jackson, inventor Samuel Morse, Thaddeus Lowe, Abraham Lincoln, Robert Mills, and Thomas U. Walter. It also examines the building’s exhibition halls, patent-model displays, and the expanding federal patent system of the nineteenth century.

When: June 26, 2026, through June 6, 2027.

Venue: National Portrait Gallery.

Location: First Floor, East Galleries.

Curator: Ann Shumard, Senior Curator of Photographs.

Focus: The exhibition traces the early development of the Patent Office and presents portraits and historical images connected to inventors, patentees, patent examiners, and the Patent Office Building.

Historical background: On July 4, 1836, President Andrew Jackson signed legislation reorganizing the nation’s patent system and providing funding for a purpose-built Patent Office in Washington, D.C. The building was completed in 1868, employed hundreds of people, and displayed thousands of models representing patented inventions. It later became the home of the National Portrait Gallery, which opened there in 1968, as well as the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Highlights: Featured works include a painted miniature portrait of Andrew Jackson, a daguerreotype of inventor Samuel Morse, an 1869 print showing patent examiners at work, rare daguerreotypes of patentees, and historic prints depicting the Patent Office’s architecture.

Inventors represented: Portraits include Thaddeus Lowe, who developed a portable hydrogen generator for reconnaissance balloons during the Civil War, and Abraham Lincoln, the only U.S. president to receive a patent.

Architecture: Robert Mills was appointed by Jackson in 1836 to oversee construction of the Patent Office Building. Although William Parker Elliot designed the selected exterior plan, Mills created the interiors of the south and east wings, including the large vaulted exhibition halls on the upper floor. Mills was also responsible for major Washington projects including the Treasury Building and the Washington Monument.

Thomas U. Walter: Walter replaced Mills as supervising architect from 1851 to 1865 and directed construction of the building’s west and north wings. He had previously won the competition to enlarge the U.S. Capitol and supervise its new wings and cast-iron dome. Although his construction system was described as fireproof, the wings he built were destroyed by fire in 1877.

Featured work, “Three Views of the Patent Office”: Philip Haas’s circa 1840 lithograph shows the building’s exterior in a cutaway view, revealing its floors and interior spaces. The image identifies exhibition areas such as the Model Hall, the Exhibition Room of Manufactures, the Exhibition Room for Agricultural Improvements, and the Exhibition of Seeds. It also includes a plan for the National Gallery of American Manufactures and Agriculture. Haas was a lithographer known for technical prints, portraits, and Washington views, and was among the country’s early daguerreotypists.

Featured work, “Patent-Office, Washington, D.C.—Examiners at Work”: Theodore R. Davis’s hand-colored wood engraving, published in Harper’s Weekly on July 10, 1869, depicts Patent Office examiners processing applications. At the time, the staff numbered about 320 people, including 20 examiners and 40 assistants. The accompanying account reported that approximately 20,000 patent applications had been filed the previous year, 85,000 patents had been issued since 1836, and 75,000 patent models were displayed in the building.

Tickets: Price not available.