Bones: The Jeffersonian Institute

One of the most important aspects Bones was the backdrop of Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan working at the Jeffersonian Institute, but is it really real? Of Bones' right at the beginningDr. Brennan always boasted that she headed the Jeffersonian's forensic anthropology departmentand, after seeing the laboratory and its facilities, it was no surprise that it was the best in the world. Not only did the Jeffersonian have state-of-the-art facilities and tools, but it was also clear that it often recruited people with only the highest potential.

This can be seen from Dr. Brennan's scuniterns, who often helped her on cases she worked on with the FBI. It was sometimes difficult to remember that characters like Wendell, Fisher, and Daisy were graduate students and were interning with Dr. Brennan to learn from her. All over Bones' 12 seasons, it became clear that The Jeffersonian was more than just a laboratory, it was a Washington D.C. landmark, even though the public would hardly see anything other than the medico-legal laboratory.

Is the Jeffersonian Institute real?

Can the public visit the real Jeffersonian?

While Bones fans would probably love to visit the lab where Dr. Brennan and her team worked, the Jeffersonian is not a real institution. The Jeffersonian follows the model of other museum institutions that house research centers. Although many scientists, from forensic anthropologists like Dr. Brennan to entomologists like Dr. Jack Hodgins, conduct their research and experiments at universities, there are some museums that are dedicated to promoting scientific advances.

Furthermore, throughout Bones'12 seasons, the public learned that there were other niche departments, including Egyptology and ancient weapons departments. The public has seen Jeffersonian professors restore ancient paintings, observe Egyptian mummies and also a model of a mastodon. It is not entirely clear how large the Jeffersonian Institute is, what exhibits are on display at the museum, and how or if they relate to the ongoing research of experts like Dr. Brennan.

What is the Jeffersonian based on?

The public can visit the museum on which the Jeffersonian is based

While Bones'The Jeffersonian is not a real place that the public can visit, The institute is based at the Smithsonian, which is also located in Washington DC. The Smithsonian has several museums and sites spread across the DC area and is not as centralized as Bones portrays the Jeffersonians as they would be. There are clear similarities that help the audience make the connection between the Jeffersonian and the Smithsonian.

Dr. Jack Hodgins was known for his crazy experiments and often “borrowed” exhibits from the Jeffersonian's museum portion to help you complete your work. Often, Jack's experiments involve murder weapons, but there was one case where he borrowed and dismantled a piece of pop culture history. Hodgins once took Archie Bunker's TV set from a All in the family exhibition for an experiment. Visitors to the Smithsonian's American History Museum in D.C. would remember that Bunker's armchair from All in the family is on display there, not your TV set.

In Bones season 10, the audience actually saw one of the the Jeffersonian exhibits dedicated to J. Edgar Hoover, where the controversial former FBI director hid his shadow government conspiracy evidence in plain sight. While it's likely that the Jeffersonian that Brennan worked at is not the same as the American History Museum, it wouldn't be surprising to find a forensic anthropologist at one of the Smithsonian's other museums, like the Natural History Museum.

The Jeffersonian lab was still real (sort of)

The set originated as a filming location

Node Dolls watch the podcast again, Emily Deschanel revealed that the medico-legal laboratory that the public sees in Bones originated as a filming location at the California Science Center, the same place that has the rose garden where Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Brennan would get married Bones season 9. Deschanel explained that for the pilot of Bonesthey filmed on location, but the medicolegal laboratory was later rebuilt into a studio for the rest of the show's run.

One of the cool things about Bones' lab set is that everything was hands-on, meaning all the rooms were actually connected, something that's not common in TV sets. Deschanel explained that an actor could walk from Dr. Brennan's office to the platform, then walk into Angela's office, and so on, all without needing to cut a shot. This probably made the setting feel more lived-in and more real. While it is disappointing that the Jeffersonian Institute is not real, the public may be happy to know that they can still visit some of the Bones' most famous configurations.