National Portrait Gallery to Showcase Patent Office History in 2027 Exhibition

From June 26, 2026, to June 6, 2027, "The Spirit of Invention: Patent Office and Patentees" will be showcased at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. This exhibition, curated by Ann Shumard, the Senior Curator of Photographs, delves into the historic Patent Office Building, now known as the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, which was a center for American creativity. On July 4, 1836, President Andrew Jackson enacted legislation that revamped the patent system and established a Patent Office in Washington, D.C. Finished in 1867, the building accommodated numerous employees and exhibited thousands of patented invention models. It eventually became the National Portrait Gallery (opened 1968) and the Smithsonian American Art Museum (relocated in 1968), highlighting the Patent Office's evolution into a cultural institution.