The Smithsonian Institution database provides a great amount of metadata on its items. When I typed “skillet” in the search bar I was not only able to find what I was looking for but also a lot of information about the skillet I found on the site. Information about the skillet’s dimensions, material it was made of, and its former owner were all listed. It even shared the location of where the skillet was used and other details about the skillet. For example, its mentioned how there’s an inscription on the bottom of the pan and describes the oblong shape of the hole in the handle of the skillet. In addition it shares how the digital image of the skillet is a JPEG and in the public domain. The only information that was not provided was the name of the manufacturer of the skillet.

I was a little confused about the 1951 date that was listed. Is this the date that the skillet was made, or came into the possession of its owner. Nevertheless, the database listed a wide array of great metadata on the skillet. The meta data also gave me insight into why the skillet was important to history. I noticed categories such as African American, and American South were listed under a Topics heading. In addition, the National Museum of African American History and Culture was listed as the data source. Thus I was able to comprehend the skillet’s importance in informing others about African American History. Overall, I found all the meta data to be very informative.