# Made at the Library: Claiming Space in the Capital City of Science

Washington emerged from the Civil War as an increasingly scientific city. Its scientists forged this city of science by establishing professional networks and institutions, inserting themselves into local and national politics, and claiming space in DC for science and scientific expertise. Unearthing the stories of pioneering anthropologist Anita Newcomb McGee (1864-1940) and her astronomer father Simon Newcomb (1835-1909), author Vincent Femia reveals how scientists engaged in the city’s political life, and how Washington’s scientific women claimed intellectual space for themselves.

Vincent L. Femia is a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution and a Lounsbery Research Assistant at the American Philosophical Society. He received his PhD in the History of Science from Princeton University.

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2026
- Runtime: 59 min
- By: Novara, Elizabeth
- Genres: Science, Space
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/video-11729/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/video-11729?play=1)