Curators are gathering posters and banners from the riot and the protests that preceded it to “help future generations remember” Jan. 6, a museum director says.
A sign that reads, “Off with their heads — stop the steal” and a small handwritten poster with the words “Trump won, swamp stole” are among dozens of objects and ephemera from pro-Trump rallies and the Capitol takeover Wednesday that are heading to the National Museum of American History, collected by curators from the division of political and military history. The museum, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution, announced Friday that it has begun archiving protest signs, posters and banners from protests on the National Mall and from the violent mob that stormed through the Capitol on Wednesday. Only a day after Trump supporters invaded the halls of Congress, Frank Blazich, a curator with the museum, was on the National Mall collecting ephemera from the demonstrations before the winds swept them away. “As an institution, we are committed to understanding how Americans make change,” the museum’s director, Anthea M.
