The International Spy Museum will unveil its newest special exhibit, “Camouflage: Designed to Deceive,” on March 1. The museum has previously featured artifacts that used elements of camouflage, like the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish with “adaptive camouflage” that appeared in the 2024 exhibit “Bond in Motion.” For the first time, however, the Spy Museum will dedicate an all-new exhibit to exploring the history of camouflage, in an installation that will be on display for the next three years.
The espionage museum aims to pull back the covers on camouflage, an important aspect of intelligence that touches everything from natural science to fashion runways, from night-vision goggles to online deepfakes. Camouflage “is the original form of deception, if you consider that it goes back to early nature,” says Kathryn Keane, the museum’s vice president of exhibitions and collections.
The exhibit is organized by four scientific principles of camouflage—to disappear, to distort, to disguise, and to deceive—and will take visitors on a 45-minute walk-through of memorabilia, stories, and immersive experiences. Displays will include historical artifacts, including items from World World 1, sourced from both the museum’s Vault collection and from other institutions. And of course, camo fans can look forward to seeing plenty of camouflage military uniforms from across the world, each with its own fascinating history.
The Spy Museum partnered with Cortina Productions, a local media company, to create mixed live action and video-game-powered environments that show elements of camouflage in action. There will also be opportunities for guests to design their own camo patterns.
Tickets to the “Camouflage: Designed to Deceive” standalone exhibit are available for $15 or as a $13 add-on to the museum’s regular admission. Spy Museum members can preview the show on February 27 and February 28 during opening hours.
Dara T. Mathis is a journalist and nonfiction writer who joined Washingtonian in Fall 2025 as an Editorial Fellow. A 2024 recipient of the American Mosaic Journalism Prize, she resides in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
