Objects from Capitol attack collected by Smithsonian for museum archive

Museum curators have gathered materials, including signs and flags, as part of historical record

An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while supporters of former president Donald Trump gather in front of the US Capitol Building in Washington, US, January 6, 2021. Reuters

A supporter of US President Donald J. Trump sits on the desk of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, after supporters of US President Donald J. Trump breached the US Capitol security in Washington. EPA

Police detain a person as supporters of US President Donald Trump protest outside the US Capitol. AFP

Protesters enter the US Capitol Building. AFP

A protester holds a Trump flag inside the US Capitol Building near the Senate Chamber. AFP

US Capitol police officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress. AFP

Members of congress run for cover as protesters try to enter the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress. AFP

Congress staffers barricade themselves after Trump supporters stormed inside the US Capitol. AFP

Congress staffers barricade themselves after Trump supporters stormed inside the US Capitol. AFP

Congress staffers hold up their hands while Capitol Police Swat teams check everyone in the room as they secure the floor of Trump supporters. AFP

US Capitol Police stand detain protesters outside of the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress. AFP

A supporter of US President Donald Trump sits at a desk after invading the Capitol Building. AFP

A protester sits in the Senate Chamber. AFP

Pro-Trump protesters tear down a barricade as they clash with Capitol police during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 US presidential election results by the US Congress. Reuters

Police hold back supporters of US President Donald Trump as they gather outside the US Capitol's Rotunda. AFP

Supporters of US President Donald Trump enter the US Capitol's Rotunda. AFP

A protester is seen hanging from the balcony in the Senate Chamber. AFP

Riot police prepare to move demonstrators away from the US Capitol. AFP

Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol. AFP

Trump supporters clash with police and security forces, as they storm the US Capitol. AFP

A supporter of US President Donald Trump wears a gas mask as he protests after storming the US Capitol. AFP

Pro-Trump supporters storm the US Capitol following a rally. AFP

Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest inside the US Capitol. AFP

US President Donald Trump is seen on TV from a video message released on Twitter addressing rioters at the US Capitol, in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC. AFP

Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington, DC. AFP

Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in the US Capitol Rotunda. AFP

Paramedics perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a patient. AFP

A wounded protester is carried on barricade as demonstrators breach the US Capital building grounds. Bloomberg

US Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi preside over a joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 Electoral College results after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol earlier in the day on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. EPA

Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., cleans up debris and personal belongings strewn across the floor of the Rotunda in the early morning hours of the morning, after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington. AP

After a violent pro-Trump mob attacked the US Capitol in Washington on January 6, museum curators were quick to pick up what they left behind.

Discarded signs, stickers, flags and other ephemera are among the objects that curators at the National Museum of American History, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution, have been collecting to add to their archive.

"As an institution, we are committed to understanding how Americans make change," said Anthea M Hartig, the museum's director, in a statement. She said that the museum's Division of Political and Military History has been documenting the 2020 election and now "will include objects and stories that help future generations remember and contextualise January 6 and its aftermath".

She also asked the public to save and share materials "that could be considered for future acquisition" and could help educate future generations about the event. The museum also collected material, such as signs and banners, from the Black Lives Matter protests last summer.

The objects that have been collected from the Capitol Hill riot were those found in the National Mall. One of the museum’s curators, Frank Blazich, found a sign that read: “Off with their heads – stop the steal”.

Inside the Capitol , a federal investigation is under way following the death of five people during the attack. Questions too have been raised about how rioters were able to breach the building’s security.

Authorities are also clearing up the damage and gathering left-behind objects as those who forced their way in smashed windows, vandalised offices and destroyed property. The clean-up by Capitol staff will include removing graffiti, as well as dealing with residue from pepper spray, tear gas and fire extinguishers.

Several items have gone missing, including laptops from senators’ offices, as well as official records. Historical objects were also stolen, seemingly taken as souvenirs by people like Adam Christian Johnson, who was photographed carrying the House Speaker’s lectern. The lectern and gavel were eventually recovered intact.

Congress' art collection did not endure direct significant damage, but a representative for the Committee on House Administration told The Washington Post that seven historically significant art pieces were covered in "corrosive agent residue", including a marble statue of former president Thomas Jefferson and portraits of James Madison and John Quincy Adams. The items are now with the Smithsonian for assessment and restoration.

Other objects from inside the Capitol, including damaged name plates, will also be shared with national museums.

Jane Campbell, a historian and president of the US Capitol Historical Society, a nonprofit educational organisation, is creating an archive of her own, collating first-person accounts, videos and social media posts as a form of digital documentation.

"As a historian I want everything preserved," she told the Post. "I think the people who did the attack on the Capitol are insurrectionist, immoral and bad news all the way around … but if they left stuff behind, it should be preserved and studied later. We have to look at, 'What did we learn?' "