Family Portrait by Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl

The Nashville Museum of Natural and Artificial Curiosities

Inspired by Peale’s Philadelphia Museum, artist and collector Ralph E. W. Earl founded a similar institution in Tennessee in 1818.
dental surgery ether painting

19th Century Anesthesia and the Politics of Pain

Many doctors embraced anesthesia, but critics in the medical community protested its use, giving rise to what's known as the “ether controversy.”
Andrew Jackson

Was Andrew Jackson Really a States’ Rights Champion?

On the 250 anniversary of Andrew Jackson's birth, a look at his squashing of the first great nullification crisis in American history.
Andrew Jackson

Why Do They Build Party Platforms, Anyway?

What is the point of the party platforms unveiled at political conventions?