A group of historians and volunteers has been documenting wall labels across the Smithsonian Institution as the Trump administration pushes for changes to how American history is presented in federal museums, according to The Washington Post.
The effort, organized under the name Citizen Historians for the Smithsonian, began after administration officials called for reviews of content at several museums and urged the removal of what they described as “divisive narratives.” The Smithsonian, which comprises 21 museums and the National Zoo, has increasingly become a focal point in debates over historical interpretation.
The group was co-founded by James Millward, a Georgetown University historian, and Chandra Manning, a US history professor at Georgetown. Over seven weeks in late summer and early fall, they recruited hundreds of volunteers to photograph and archive publicly accessible wall text throughout the Smithsonian system, compiling more than 50,000 images, the Post reported.
The documentation effort drew attention after the National Portrait Gallery replaced wall text accompanying President Donald Trump’s portrait. According to the Post, the previous label stated that Trump was “impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection.” The updated text was shorter and did not include that language.
Millward went to the National Portrait Gallery and distributed printouts of the earlier label to visitors, describing the action as “guerrilla teaching.” Security officers told him he could not hand out literature inside the museum. The gallery was temporarily cleared before reopening. A spokesperson for the Portrait Gallery said museum officers “followed protocol.”
The Trump administration has issued directives aimed at eliminating what it calls “improper ideology” in cultural institutions and has requested reviews of several Smithsonian museums.
Grassroots efforts to document existing signage have emerged in response, including initiatives such as Save Our Signs and the History, Archives, and Records Preservation Project, which track changes to public historical content.
Supporters of the documentation campaign argue that preserving records of wall text and signage serves as a safeguard against potential censorship. The episode at the National Portrait Gallery highlights how museum labels—often overlooked by visitors—have become part of a broader national debate over how American history is presented.
