HAIR Costume Pieces and More Acquired By The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History recently acquired several new artifacts, including objects from the culturally significant Broadway musical HAIR.

Four objects from the 1968 original Broadway production of HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, underscores a cultural milestone with songs that shaped American society. Artifacts include a handwritten score piece by composer Galt MacDermot for the song “Where Do I Go” and costume pieces, including a red shirt worn by actor Gerome Ragni in the role of “Berger” and a tie-dye vest  (designed by Nancy Potts) worn by performer Shelley Plimpton who played “Crissy.” The museum also collected an original poster. 

Conceived by actor/writers James Rado and Gerome Ragni based on New York City's 1960s youth culture,  the musical chronicles the story of a “tribe” of friends as they navigate their personal identities amidst the Vietnam War and rapidly evolving society. It grappled with the Civil Rights Movement, recreational drug use, hippie counterculture and the sexual revolution. MacDermot produced the musical's score. Among its enduring songs are “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” and “Where Do I Go.” The album hit No. 1 on the Billboard Music charts and sold over 3 million copies in the U.S. by December 1969. That same year, it won a Grammy Award for Best Score from an Original Cast Album, and some of the songs were featured as Top 10 hits. These artifacts join the museum's extensive entertainment collections.

Other artifacts include those from the legendary Titanic, and jersey from sports figure Shohei Ohtani. The new acquisitions were donated between 2023 and July 2024 and also encompass innovations in automobile and steel recycling; audio engineering, including closed captioning; and early computer-data processing.