Prussian Blue Catfish Inventory Aircraft in the Abstract Crowned Nuns Ikat

3 prussian blue 6 catfish inventory 8 aircraft in the abstract 10 crowned nuns 16 ikat textiles

Smithsonian Institution

SCIENCE, HISTORY AND THE ARTS NUMBER 10 · AUTUMN 2005 smithsonian online

Nature up-close. When scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History need a close-up view of the tiny scales on a butterfly’s wing, the venom pores on a spider’s fangs or the minute teeth of a snail, they take their specimens to the museum’s Scanning Electron Microscopy Laboratory. By processing data from an electron beam scanned across a specimen’s surface, the in- strument allows scientists to see specimens at magnifications vastly greater than the ca- number 10 · autumn 2005 pacity of optical microscopes. In the mu- Published quarterly by the Smithsonian Office seum, the scanning electron microscope is of Public Affairs, Smithsonian Institution used mainly to capture the morphological Building, Room 354, MRC 033, P.O. Box details of animals and plants for taxonomic 37012, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012, for study. The results are first-rate science, as Smithsonian Contributing Members, scholars, well as stunning views of nature on a educators, museum personnel, libraries, journalists and others. To be added to the nanometer scale. A new Web site featuring mailing list or to request this publication in images from the laboratory includes close- an accessible format, call (202) 357-2627, ext. ups of spiders, golden threads from a Sikh 119 (voice) or (202) 357-1729 (TTY). ceremonial costume and dinoflagellates, the John Barrat, Editor single-celled organisms that make up Colleen Perlman, Assistant Editor plankton.—www.nmnh.si.edu/highlight/ sem/highlight/SEM_main.htm Evelyn S. Lieberman, Director of Communications and Public Affairs

Wing scales of a red-banded hairstreak butterfly (top) and lens facets in the eye of the Kathryn Lindeman, Publications Director same species (bottom), as seen by the scanning electron microscope Telephone: (202) 357-2627 Celia Cruz. Starting from a humble childhood in Havana, Celia Cruz (1925-2003) went E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.si.edu/insideresearch on to achieve world-renown as the Queen of Latin Music. Combining a piercing and powerful voice with a larger-than-life personality and stage costumes, Contributing Members who seek information Cruz was one of few women to succeed in the male-dominated world of about the Smithsonian or about their salsa music. “¡Azúcar! The Life and Music of Celia Cruz” is a bilingual memberships may write to The Contributing Membership, Smithsonian Institution, A&I Web site from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of 1130, MRC 410, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, American History, Behring Center that follows the D.C. 20013-7012, or call 1 (800) 931-32CM or high points of the singer’s life and career through (202) 357-1699. photos, personal documents, costumes and music. The site complements a new exhibi- On the cover: This image of the tail of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s tion on Cruz at the museum in Washington, 1931 midget racing plane, Buster, was taken by D.C. On the Web site, dozens of photos doc- Air and Space Museum photographer Carolyn ument her life in Cuba and Mexico, the many musicians Silver shoe worn by Ceila Cruz Russo and will appear in the 2007 exhibition with whom Cruz collaborated, and her life in New York “In Plane View: Abstractions of Flight” (see article Page 8). Buster, a home-built midwing City in the 1960s and beyond. A discography features the covers of many of her LPs and monoplane, was owned by racing pilot Steve audio samples of favorite songs.—americanhistory.si.edu/celiacruz Wittman. From 1931 until its retirement in 1954, the Buster set records and took numerous trophies in class races and free-for-alls, including two wins in the Goodyear Trophy Races. Editor’s Note: An article in the Summer 2005 issue on the coastal plain swamp sparrow should have more clearly explained isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. In samples of the sparrow feather tissue, scientists measured the ratio of occurrence of the hydrogen isotope, deuterium, to the more abundant hydrogen atoms found in the tissue. It is this ra- Smithsonian tio that varies geographically and helped pinpoint where the sparrow winters. Institution

2 INSIDE SMITHSONIAN RESEARCH · AUTUMN 2005 ASIAN ART Scientists solve puzzle of Prussian blue pigment in Japanese paintings

By Donald Smith Special to Inside Smithsonian Research

n a sparsely furnished back room at the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art, a trim, gray-haired chemist is Ihunched over a Japanese painting from the 19th century. After making minute adjustments to a fiber-optic probe suspended just millimeters above the painting, he flicks on the power. A tiny dot of light beams from the probe’s tip, reflecting off of a blue pig- salts and cyanide obtained from cattle Leona, the David H. Koch scientist-in- ment that was delicately laid down by the blood was invented in Germany in 1704. charge in the Department of Scientific brush of Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) Some 80 years later, it reached Japan Research at the Metropolitan Museum of more than 200 years ago. The reflected through trade with the Dutch and Chi- Art in New York, who collaborated with light flows into a spectroscope that mea- nese. By the 1820s, after Prussian blue be- Winter in the investigation. sures both visible and invisible ultraviolet came readily available and less costly, its But as Winter and Leona discovered in light. vividness and intensity sparked a fashion their work, Japanese painters were not as Titled “Miscellaneous Subjects,” the for blue among the producers of Japanese enamored with this new color as were painted handscroll being examined is a ukiyo-e woodblock prints, but not among (continued) stunning work in the Japanese ukiyo-e painters, as Winter’s research reveals. style. Yet Conservation Scientist John Woodblock prints were reproduced in Above: A fiber-optic probe attached to a Winter of the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. large numbers by a guild of artists, block- movable arm above the painting “Miscel- Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art is carvers and printers. Perfectly suited for laneous Subjects,” by Katsushika Hoku- looking for a European invader hidden in printmaking because of its intensity and sai, allows John Winter to collect both ul- plain sight on the painting’s surface: a fine grains, “Prussian blue quickly re- traviolet and visible light reflected from pigment called Prussian blue. placed indigo and other traditional blue tiny spots on the painting’s surface. This synthetic paint made from iron pigments in Japanese prints,” says Marco (Photo by Owen MacDonald)

INSIDE SMITHSONIAN RESEARCH · AUTUMN 2005 3 Japanese printmakers. By compiling data where the paint was exceedingly thin, Both indigo and Prussian blue pigments from spectroscopic analysis of Japanese Fitzhugh was unable to determine were used by artist Katsushika Hokusai to paintings in the Freer Gallery’s collection, whether an artist had used Prussian blue color the decorated lute bag in this paint- Winter and Leona have documented the or indigo, a traditional blue pigment ing “The Lute and White Snake of Benten more conservative response to this novel made from plants. (Sarasvati).” Reflectance spectroscopy re- European pigment by Japanese ukiyo-e Looking at a painting’s surface with the vealed the darker blue in the painting to painters. naked eye, it is impossible to tell Prussian contain the pigment Prussian blue.The blue and indigo apart, Winter says. Often, lighter blue is indigo. Indigo vs. Prussian blue they appear in “very similar shades of For centuries, many different materials— dark blue. I don’t think anybody would such as clay, crushed oyster shell, gam- claim to tell the difference just by looking boge (tree resin), mica, ground copper at them through an optical microscope.” minerals and mercuric sulfide—have One simple method to tell these two optic probe with the spectroscope that al- been used to create pigments for the pigments apart is through chemical analy- lowed them to collect reflected light— palettes of Japanese artists. Many pig- sis. Both pigments react differently when both visible and ultraviolet—from spots ments and the knowledge of making them exposed to specific chemicals, such as ni- as small as .025 of an inch. came to Japan through China and other tric acid, an oxidizing agent. Because each Armed with this equipment, Winter and areas of Asia. Pigments such as cinnabar, pigment is made up of particles that are Leona returned to inspect blue areas of malachite and azurite, for example, came quite tiny, the pigments are intense. some 200 paintings, areas that Fitzhugh into Japan, along with the introduction of “Painters did not need to apply much of had been unable to determine were Buddhism, from mainland China. either” to achieve the desired shade of painted with indigo or Prussian blue. “We Using microscopy and microchemical blue, Winter explains. Layers of these pig- built upon her work,” Leona says. analysis, Freer Gallery of Art Research As- ments on Japanese paintings are often In the infrared range, invisible to the sociate Elisabeth West Fitzhugh recently thin. Lifting even tiny samples for analysis human eye, the differences between published a comprehensive database may be impossible without damaging the Prussian blue and indigo became imme- identifying every pigment employed in paintings. diately apparent. In visible light, both pig- the creation of some 500 Japanese ukiyo-e ments absorb the color red and reflect paintings, dating from the 16th to the Ultraviolet analysis blue. In the infrared, Winter explains, 19th centuries and owned by the Freer. “Using a spectroscope, however, is nonin- “Prussian blue continues absorbing red, The database represents “a titanic work,” vasive,” Winter explains. “No sample is while indigo does not. Indigo is faint, Leona says. It took Fitzhugh and others removed, and there is no contact between nearly invisible in the infrared. The differ- decades to complete. the probe and the work of art being ex- ence is striking.” Yet in specific areas on some paintings amined.” Winter and Leona used a fiber-

4 INSIDE SMITHSONIAN RESEARCH · AUTUMN 2005 Paintings and prints sizeable quantities for prints with large ‘Technicolor’ hues of Prussian blue were Winter and Leona discerned the earliest production runs, Leona points out. It in demand among the lower middle class use of Prussian blue in a painting dated stands to reason Japanese painters could who couldn’t afford paintings.” with certainty to 1817. Of the 500 ukiyo-e easily have afforded Prussian blue during On a number of paintings, Winter and paintings in the Freer collection, 139 con- this time. Leona encountered Prussian blue and in- tained either indigo or Prussian blue, Overall, Prussian blue never achieved digo mixed together as a single pigment. alone or in mixtures. the popularity among Japanese painters Did an artist combine the pigments to try One point of interest, Winter says, “is in the 1820s and 1830s that it did among to create a new color? Or was it an at- that a painter sometimes used indigo and printmakers. “Probably most painters did tempt to stretch the more costly Prussian Prussian blue for different design features not feel the need to add a new pigment to blue by mixing it with indigo? Or as Win- in the same painting. This, I thought, was their repertoire,” Leona says, “particularly ter questions, did a merchant cut his stock interesting in that it shows a remarkably in the early years of its introduction, of Prussian blue with indigo before selling subtle appreciation of color differences.” when the price was still quite high. They it to increase profits? These are a few Despite the availability of Prussian blue, even had blue pigments other than indigo questions awaiting answers. indigo still remained popular with Japan- that could be used instead, such as azurite “What we have done in this study is ese painters. Half of the 34 paintings and smalt.” The coarse grains of azurite, a provide raw data on pigments contained made after 1830 that were selected for this crushed mineral pigment, and smalt, a in the Freer’s amazing collection of Japan- study contained Prussian blue, while 31 of pigment made from deep-blue glass that ese ukiyo-e paintings,” Leona says. “Now, the 34 paintings contained indigo. has been pulverized, made them unsuited it is the job of an art historian, economist This was at a time that Prussian blue for woodblock prints. or other scholar to try to apply this data had replaced indigo in Japanese prints “Printmakers had more incentive to to specific socio-economic questions.” ❖ and was being used by printmakers in change,” Leona continues. “The new

In visible light, indigo and Prussian blue pigments are difficult to tell apart. In the infrared range, however, indigo becomes nearly invisible, Prussian blue does not. The fiber-optic probe shown here is used to bounce beams of visible and infrared light off of the surface of a painting and into a spectroscope. By analyzing the reflected light, the spectrometer can easily tell the two pigments apart. Spectro- scopic analysis is a noninvasive method of studying thin layers of pigments on the surface of a painting. (Photo by Owen MacDonald)

INSIDE SMITHSONIAN RESEARCH · AUTUMN 2005 5 ICHTHYOLOGY Catﬁsh inventory has Smithsonian scientist exploring rivers and streams the world over

By John Barrat Smithsonian Office of Public Affairs

ative to sub-Saharan Africa, global distribution of catfish. They are species of catfish in the world yet to be the electric catfish can tem- found on every continent except Antarc- discovered. porarily paralyze enemies tica, and fossils show that they once even For the last 18 years, Richard Vari of the N with a shock of 350 volts. In thrived there. Smithsonian’s National Museum of Nat- South America, the candiru, a small vora- Scientists have identified 2,743 different ural History has been studying and de- cious blood-sucking catfish, attacks other species—ranging in size from the giant scribing new species of catfish collected fish and occasionally humans. In Suri- Mekong catfish of Vietnam to the tiny from South America, Africa and Asia. He name, talking catfish grunt loud protests transparent glass catfish popular among and other taxonomists hope to piece to- when pulled out of the water. aquarists—and are still counting. It is es- gether the complex family tree of the cat- Few vertebrates rival the diversity and timated that there are as many as 1,750 fish and establish the evolutionary ties

Richard Vari with some of the catfish specimens from a working ichthyology collection maintained by the Vertebrate Zoology Department of the National Museum of Natural History (James Di Loreto photo)

Opposite: Cetopsis parma, the heavy bod- ied fish, is a member of the catfish family Cetopsidae. C. parma is native to the northern and western portions of the Amazon basin in Brazil, Ecuador and Peru. The specimen shown here is about 6 inches long. Richard Vari and two colleagues named this species in 2001.

6 INSIDE SMITHSONIAN RESEARCH · AUTUMN 2005 that link them to all other species of fish. ‘Whale catfish’ Phylogenetic studies In addition, Vari collects life history With grants from the Catfish Inventory, Naming a new catfish species or family data on these new species, such as what Vari plans to document the evolutionary can take place years after a specimen is they eat, where they live, whether there relationships among the Cetopsidae, a collected. Traditionally, new species and are morphological differences between group of small South American catfish relationships between species are deter- sexes, what they look like as juveniles and that resemble whales and are called mined through visual similarities in mor- if they are exploited for food by humans. “whale catfish.” phology, although DNA analysis is being This information may someday prove “Members of the Cetopsidae range used more frequently. Only after careful critical to wildlife experts trying to man- from having small eyes to having very examination of a specimen’s skeleton, car- age or re-establish populations of these small eyes to, in one case, lacking any in- tilage, fins, muscles and other body struc- fish in the event of human encroachment dication of eyes at all,” Vari says. “They tures do their distinguishing characteris- or natural or man-made disasters. also are often called ‘bagre ciego,’ mean- tics emerge. For his research, Vari uses the ing ‘blind catfish.’” Recent research by National Museum of Natural History’s Catfish inventory Vari and his colleagues has established 20 fish collection, the largest in the world, Recently, Vari joined a new initiative of new species of this catfish family. with approximately 3.5 million speci- the National Science Foundation known For the inventory, Vari also intends to mens. as the All Catfish Species Inventory. With collect and study “various groups of Asian One common technique Vari uses to this project, 200 scientists around the catfish—from eastern Pakistan to Thai- study fish bone and cartilage is to dissolve world will spend the next five years trying land, down the Malay Peninsula and onto a specimen’s muscle and soft tissue with to collect and describe every catfish Borneo—all of which are exploited for an enzyme solution. He then treats the species on Earth. food through their range,” he says. specimen with stains that turn its bones With mass extinctions occurring in Why have catfish been so successful in red and its cartilage blue. “We often focus many parts of the world, the National Sci- adapting to such diverse environments on bones and cartilage in our phyloge- ence Foundation has made it a priority to around the world? “Catfish have elabora- netic studies. Preparing the fish in this try to inventory at least some of the tions of their sensory systems, including way makes it easy to compare specimens Earth’s existing biodiversity before it dis- the whiskerlike barbels on either side of side by side,” he says. appears. their mouth that earned them the name In a recently published phylogenetic Catfish are a logical choice for such an ‘catfish.’ These allow them to sense poten- study of all known members of one cat- ambitious project, Vari explains. “They tial food items in the environment,” Vari fish group, for example, Vari and col- are a major food source for people in explains. leagues consulted hundreds of specimens many parts of the world. Virtually all cat- Also, along with other groups of largely representing the genera of all known catfish species are edible.” freshwater fish, catfish have modifications fish families. Their global distribution also makes on the backs of their heads, on the tops of It is a slow, labor-intensive process, but them an ecologically significant species. their vertebral columns and on their swim Vari’s work is providing essential infor- Scientists in the United States, for exam- bladders that increase their ability to mation about a prolific group of fish that ple, have long used the presence and sense vibrations, including sound, Vari is an important environmental indicator health of the bullhead catfish, a bottom says. This gives them an advantage in and part of the human diet in many areas feeder, as a gauge of pollution in streams eluding predators and finding prey. of the world. ❖ and rivers nationwide.

INSIDE SMITHSONIAN RESEARCH · AUTUMN 2005 7 PHOTOGRAPHY Smithsonian photographer transforms aircraft into abstract art

By Caroline Taylor Special to Inside Smithsonian Research

ung in a modern art mu- Module Columbia taken by Smithsonian The Apollo 11 Command Module is on seum, the copper-hued pho- National Air and Space Museum Photog- exhibit in the Milestones of Flight Gallery tograph might well attract rapher Carolyn Russo. As the capsule at the National Air and Space Museum. H the serious attention of art plunged through the Earth’s atmosphere The image is one in a series of 65 color afficionados. It’s a study in texture, or- with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and photographs by Russo that offer an ab- ganic form and line. The surface is multi- Michael Collins aboard on July 20, 1969, stract look at the iconic air- and space- dimensional and swarms with movement. searing heat left its mark on the honey- craft in the Smithsonian’s collection. Her The photograph is a close-up of the comb surface of the shield. This is what is exhibition, “In Plane View: Abstractions heat shield of the Apollo 11 Command captured in the picture. of Flight,” will open in March 2007 at the museum. “This is a new way to show aircraft,” Russo explains. “I want people to be exposed to the beauty in what are otherwise thought of as utilitarian objects. I hope to show that these marvels of technological advancement also are marvels of color, line and shape.” One of her photographs is a stunning vertical view of the deep red, heart- shaped tail of the Smithsonian’s 1931 Wittman Buster, a post-World War II-era midget racing plane (see cover). A similar shot of the 1929 Kreider-Reisner C-4C Challenger biplane, in white on black, calls to mind a dragonfly skimming a shaded pond. “This show is fundamentally about the nexus between art and science,” explains Anne Collins Goodyear, who is curating the exhibition. “Creativity is at the heart of science, technology and art. In the same way that scientists’ creations spark new ways of thinking and perceiving our world, Russo’s photographs open up worlds of possibility—things beyond our capacity to imagine here and now.”

8 INSIDE SMITHSONIAN RESEARCH · AUTUMN 2005 Goodyear, assistant curator of prints and drawings at the Smithsonian’s Na- tional Portrait Gallery, is particularly in- terested in the relationship of art to science and technology in the United States and the effect of flight on 20th-century art. Russo takes her abstract photographs with a medium-format Hasslebad film camera and strobe lights. But she first sets up her shots using a digital camera. “I use a digital camera the way an artist might use a sketch pad,” she explains. “I take a number of preliminary shots in digital, because it gives me a good overall idea how the final image will appear.” Once she’s satisfied with the image on the digital camera’s display, “I put the Has- slebad on the tripod and shoot with film. I might take between one and four rolls, bracketing the exposure lengths to vary the light, changing the camera’s angle, zoom- ing in and out.” A minor change in the camera’s angle can make a big difference in an abstract photograph, she says. Working late into the night in the soli- tude of an empty museum, Russo is free of the distractions of museum visitors and daytime museum lighting. “At night, then be manipulated using Photoshop, a artists have been moved not only by the I can concentrate and focus on only the computer software program. “It’s just like appearance of the airplane but also by the camera and the airplane. I might walk by going into the darkroom with a negative principles it represents: a mastery of mass a plane 100 times before something will and being able to manipulate the film to and weight, a victory over the force of pop out at me that I didn’t see before. get the results I want,” she says. gravity through motion.” And then I have to shoot it.” Russo and Goodyear are now working In addition to the air- and spacecraft in After having her film developed, Russo together to select photographs for the ex- the Smithsonian’s collection, “In Plane picks the shot that she considers to be the hibition from dozens of Russo’s images. View” will pay homage to the aviators, de- best and scans it using a high-resolution “Our criteria are that the photographs be signers, engineers and others associated film scanner. This turns her photographs of high aesthetic quality and that the im- with the machines. Quotes and comments from film into digital images that can ages tell a story about the aircraft they by aviation greats Allan Lockheed, Gen. represent,” Goodyear says. Hap Arnold, Igor Sikorsky, William Boe- “Russo brings out qualities in the air- ing, Eddie Rickenbacker, Jack Northrop, Opposite bottom:The heat shield of the craft that escape most of us,” she contin- Donald Douglas, Jimmy Doolittle and Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia ues. “She fits right into a long tradition of others will appear in the exhibition with artists, such as Robert Rauschenberg and the photographs. Opposite top:The yellow engine cowling Georgia O’Keeffe, who responded to the After its debut at the National Air and and orange propeller of the Grumman innovation of human flight by offering Space Museum, “In Plane View: Abstrac- F8F-2 Bearcat Conquest I unique vantage points on daily life.” tions of Flight” will travel the United The age of flight has long captured the States under the auspices of the Smithso- Above:The exhaust pipe of the North imagination of artists, as well as scientists, nian Institution Traveling Exhibition American X-15 (Photos by Carolyn Russo) Goodyear explains. “Twentieth-century Service. ❖

INSIDE SMITHSONIAN RESEARCH · AUTUMN 2005 9 PORTRAITURE Crowned-nun portraits reveal importance of the convent in colonial Latin America

By Vicki Moeser Smithsonian Office of Public Affairs

f the many striking paint- During what Carr describes as three ings that make up the new “marathon sessions,” the curators re- Smithsonian exhibition viewed more than 1,000 images and, O “Retratos: 2,000 Years of “with much difficulty,” whittled down Latin American Portraits,” the “monjas their selections to a manageable size. coronadas,” or crowned nuns, stand out Among their favorites were a small num- for their elaborate detail, beauty and de- ber of crowned-nun portraits. piction of piety. Crowned nun portraiture was unique to Palm branches and crowns Mexico during the 18th and 19th centuries Crowned-nun portraiture embodies “the and was meant to mark a nun’s spiritual celebration surrounding a young woman’s marriage to Christ. “Families would com- religious profession in a devoutly Catholic mission artists to paint portraits of daugh- culture,” writes Kirsten Hammer, director ters who were soon to enter convents,” ex- of Latin American art at Sotheby’s. Ham- plains exhibition co-curator Miguel mer is author of an essay in the catalog Bretos, a senior scholar at the Smithso- that accompanies “Retratros.” nian’s National Portrait Gallery. “Convents Crowned-nun portraits depict a female were an important part of the religious hibition’s five-city tour, which includes figure accompanied by objects used in the and social life of colonial Latin America.” venues in New York, San Diego, Miami Catholic profession ceremony, including “Retratos” is an exhibition of 115 paint- and San Antonio. candles, palm branches and crowns, all of ings and sculptures drawn from the hold- “We all came to this project with which may appear interwoven with flow- ings of museums in Latin America, Spain slightly different perspectives,” Carr says ers and fruit, Hammer explains. and the United States, as well as from pri- of the team. “Marion is an anthropolo- “Other objects commonly shown in vate collections. It has 76 lenders from 15 gist; Miguel, a historian; and Fatima’s fo- crowned-nun portraits, though not spe- countries and took four curators from cus is on contemporary Latin American cific to the profession rites, are small stat- three museums two years to organize. Its artists.” Carr is a respected art historian ues or dolls [symbolizing the baby Jesus], stunning portraits of Latin American who has organized numerous exhibitions, rulers, priests, military figures and every- mainly of modern and contemporary art day people will be on view at the Smithso- and photography. Above: This 18th-century oil-on-canvas nian’s International Gallery in Washing- Because there is little published on Latin painting (detail) of a crowned nun by an ton, D.C., from Oct. 21 to Jan. 8, 2006. American portraiture, the team undertook unknown Mexican artist is in the exhibi- On the “Retratos” curatorial team are three research trips, visiting churches, tion “Retratos: 2,000 Years of Latin Ameri- Bretos; Carolyn Kinder Carr, deputy di- museums and private collections in Brazil, can Portraits.” rector and chief curator at the National Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Mex- Portrait Gallery; Marion Oettinger Jr., di- ico. Team members also traveled individ- Opposite: “Sor María Francisca de San rector of the San Antonio Museum of Art; ually to other countries, including Colom- Calletano,” an oil-on-canvas painting by and Fatima Bercht, chief curator, El bia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Puerto Rico, Mexican artist Félix Zárate, who was ac- Museo del Barrio, in New York City. The to view portraits and follow up on differ- tive from 1788 to 1847 (Image courtesy of Smithsonian is the fourth stop on the ex- ent aspects of the project. the San Antonio Museum of Art)

10 INSIDE SMITHSONIAN RESEARCH · AUTUMN 2005 crucifixes, crests and rosaries. Each ob- ject carries special symbolic significance, sometimes pertaining only to the nun dis- playing it, sometimes employed as a standard icon expressing larger social or religious ideas,” Hammer writes. The “Retratos” portrait of Sor María Francisca de San Calletano, for example, is filled with religious objects. Painted in 1840 by Félix Zárate, a respected painter from Jalisco, Mexico, in the first half of the 19th century, his subject is shown wearing the Dominican habit and a rosary. A disk with the Dominican em- blem and a depiction of Saint Dominic of Guzman hangs from her habit. “She carries a lighted candle, a symbol of fidelity, and an image of the Christ child,” Hammer writes. “Her crown represents victory over sin and contains images of the Immaculate Conception; her patron saint, Saint Cajetan; and an unidentified figure.” This oil-on-canvas crowned-nun portrait measures nearly 6½ feet tall and 4 feet wide and belongs to the San Antonio Museum of Art in Texas.

Identity of the sitter The writing along the bottom of a portrait is called the “leyenda,” or legend, and provides clues to the identity of the sitter. “The legends are as varied as the liturgical objects chosen for the painting, but commonly list the nun’s religious name, her family name and the titles of her parents,” Hammer writes. “Often they describe distinguished god- parents or patrons. The city in which the nun was born, the convent that she en- tered and the date of her profession also are among the most common facts men- tioned. Occasionally, if she was a distinguished student, her educational back- ground is noted,” Hammer continues. In the portrait of Sor María Francisca de and professed the black veil in the same reach programs, a catalog, committees of San Calletano, for example, the legend re- convent April 2, 1840, at 20 years of age.” Latino leaders working to support the veals she is the “legitimate daughter of Don “Retratos: 2,000 Years of Latin Ameri- project and a team of scholarly advisers. Leonicio Leal and Arquilina Bidrio” and can Portraits” forms the centerpiece of a Additional information is available at the “was born Jan. 1, 1820.... She was a novice major international project that includes Web site www.retratos.org. ❖ of the convent of Saint Maria de Grasia... educational materials, innovative out-

INSIDE SMITHSONIAN RESEARCH · AUTUMN 2005 11 news and notes

Panda birth. Mei Xiang, the Smithso- for life. Geologists at the Smithsonian Na- nian National Zoological Park’s female gi- tional Air and Space Museum’s Center for ant panda, gave birth to a male cub on Earth and Planetary Studies, working Saturday, July 9, at 3:41 a.m. Under Mei with colleagues at the University of Vir- Xiang’s care, the cub is thriving and grow- ginia, have recently discovered 21 river ing daily. The cub’s birth was the result of channels in the dry Martian valleys. Re- artificial insemination conducted by Na- searchers determined that Martian rivers tional Zoo staff in March. On Sept. 19, were about the same size as their counter- Zoo staff gave the cub his sixth veterinary parts on Earth, suggesting similar exam, determining he is healthy. At the amounts of runoff from thunderstorms or time, he was 22.51 inches long and This photograph of the National Zoologi- rapid snowmelt. weighed 9.57 pounds. Zoo staff also ob- cal Park’s new panda cub was taken dur- served that his tooth buds—swollen areas ing a recent veterinary exam.The male Zoo director. John Berry, executive di- where his teeth eventually will erupt—are cub is healthy, thriving and growing daily. rector of the National Fish and Wildlife pronounced, and his first teeth should (Photo by Jessie Cohen) Foundation from 2001 to 2005, has been start to break through in about a month. named director of the Smithsonian’s Na- tional Zoological Park. Berry served as as- IRIS donation. A 1989 IRIS 3047 printer first fine-art digital printmaking studio sistant secretary for policy, management made by IRIS Graphics in Bedford, Mass., dedicated to photography. Nash Edition’s and budget at the U.S. Department of the was recently donated to the Smithsonian’s IRIS printer was one of the first to be used Interior from 1997 to 2001. From 1995 to National Museum of American History, to make fine-art digital photographs and 1997, Berry was director of government Behring Center by Nash Editions, a Cali- to jump-start a new business model and relations and a senior policy adviser at the fornia company recognized as the world’s method for the production of fine art Smithsonian. Berry succeeds Lucy Spel- photographs. Included with the donation man as Zoo director. were prints produced with the IRIS printer by Nash Editions.

Hirshhorn director. Olga Viso, deputy director of the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, has been named the Hirshhorn’s new director. Viso joined the museum’s Curatorial Depart- ment in 1995 as assistant curator, was named associate curator in 1998 and served as curator of contemporary art from 2000 to 2003. She became deputy director in 2003. Viso, well-known for her expertise in contemporary Latin American art, succeeds Ned Rifkin, now the Smith- sonian’s Under Secretary for Art.

White arrows on this false-color image of Mars rivers. Robotic satellites and the Licus Vallis network on Mars indicate rovers have returned new evidence that This 1952 photo of Marlene Dietrich by the location of one of the newly discov- Mars had a much warmer and wetter cli- Milton Green was printed with the IRIS ered dry river channels. mate some 3.5 billion years ago, when 3047 printer by Nash Editions and recently conditions may have been more favorable donated to the Smithsonian.

12 INSIDE SMITHSONIAN RESEARCH · AUTUMN 2005 Unpublished photos from Scopes ‘Monkey Trial’ of 1927 discovered in Smithsonian Archives

n independent historian doing re- Co. Rappleyea is credited with suggesting A search in the Smithsonian Institu- that Dayton challenge Tennessee’s statute tion Archives in Washington, D.C., has against the teaching of evolution in uncovered a set of previously unpublished schools. “These stunning photographs are photographs taken in 1925 during the the discovery of a lifetime and a spectacu- Tennessee vs. John Scopes “Monkey lar find for the Smithsonian Institution Trial,” in Dayton, Tenn. The photo collec- Archives,” says Marcel LaFollette, the in- tion includes portraits of trial partici- dependent scholar, historian and Smith- pants, images from the trial itself and sig- sonian volunteer who found the images. nificant places in Dayton, such as the A few of these photos can be viewed at Rhea County Courthouse. The nitrate the Web site siarchives.si.edu. John Thomas Scopes, Dayton,Tenn., June negatives were discovered inside boxes of —John Barrat 1925 (Photo by Watson Davis) archival material donated to the Smithso- nian by Science Service in 1971. Science Service is a Washington, D.C.- Astronomers detect little water in Comet Tempel 1 based organization founded in 1921 for the promotion of science writing and informa- arely do astronomers get a chance to nals from gases, such as water vapor and tion about science in the media. The pho- R reach out and touch what they study. carbon monoxide. tos were taken by Watson Davis (1896- One of those rare opportunities came on The debris cloud created from the blast 1967), the Science Service managing July 4, when the National Aeronau- contained fine dust similar to talcum editor who covered the Scopes tics and Space Administration’s powder. Surprisingly, little water was de- trial as a reporter and as- Deep Impact probe tected, considering that comet nuclei are sisted in the selection of smacked into a comet often described as “dirty snowballs.” prominent scientists to with the force of nearly 5 “It’s pretty clear that this event did not testify for the defense. tons of TNT. The im- produce a gusher,” SAO Astronomer Gary “We’ve always known pact blew a crater in the Melnick says. that records and corre- comet 200 yards across The target, Comet Tempel 1, travels spondence from the and 30 yards deep. through the inner solar system every 5½ Scopes trial were in this NASA organized this years, making it a “short-period” comet. collection,” says Smithsonian cosmic assault to study the Scientists expected that solar heating dur- Archivist Tammy Peters. structure and composi- ing its previous passages had vaporized “We didn’t know that A false-color image of Tempel 1 tion of a comet nu- ice close to the comet’s surface. However, negatives of photographs after it was struck by Deep Impact cleus—a Manhattan- the drought extended deeper inside the Davis had taken during (NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD image) sized chunk of ice and comet than predicted. the trial also were here.” dirt that gradually va- “Theories about the volatile layers be- Consisting of about 60 different pho- porizes. As it turns to gas it creates the low the surface of short-period comets tographs, highlights of the collection in- glowing head and tail we see from Earth. are going to have to be revised,” SAO As- clude a rare photograph of attorney Comets hold material left over from the tronomer Charlie Qi says. William Jennings Bryan being interro- formation of the solar system, providing Melnick, Qi and colleagues will con- gated by defense attorney Clarence Dar- clues to how the planets formed. tinue to analyze the comet debris in com- row on July 20, 1925, a day the trial had When Deep Impact hit, astronomers at ing months. “The big picture will emerge been moved outside due to extreme heat. the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observa- once astronomers meld data from differ- A second photo shows Rhea County tory were watching with the Submillime- ent observatories at different wave- High School teacher John Thomas Scopes ter Array telescope in Hawaii and the Sub- lengths,” Melnick says. and George Washington Rappleyea, man- millimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite. —Christine Pulliam ager of the Cumberland Coal and Iron Both instruments seek cosmic radio sig-

INSIDE SMITHSONIAN RESEARCH · AUTUMN 2005 13 books and recordings

Smithsonian Baseball: Inside the conditions under which World War I and Rolas de Aztlán: Songs of the Chi- World’s Finest Private Collections, World War II pilots fought, following the cano Movement (Smithsonian Folk- by Stephen Wong (Collins, 2005, $29.95). rise of air warfare from its beginnings to ways Recordings, 2005, $15). A compila- Revealing stories, lavish photography and the Enola Gay’s dropping of the atomic tion of powerful songs recorded between essays highlight 21 of the best private col- bomb on Hiroshima. 1965 and 1999 that range from farm- lections of baseball memorabilia in exis- worker strike songs to civil rights an- tence. From a 1848 copy of the first writ- Explorers: A Photographic History of thems. ten rules of the game to Mark McGwire’s Exploration, by Richard Sale (Collins, 1998 record-shattering home-run ball, 2005, $24.95). A complete chronological Hobart Smith, In Sacred Trust:The this book spans baseball’s history. and geographical overview of exploration 1963 Fleming Brown Tapes (Smithso- since the late 19th century. This illus- nian Folkways Recordings, 2005, $15). The Art of Botanical Painting, by trated book celebrates the men and Mountain music virtuoso Hobart Smith Margaret Stevens (Collins, 2005, $29.95). women who have pushed forward the (1897-1965) sings and plays banjo, fiddle, A practical teaching guide to the art of boundaries of knowledge of the world’s guitar and piano in this album of deeply botanical illustration, from exotic and least-known places. personal recordings. An 80-page booklet garden flowers and plants to fruits and with historical photos and lyrics is in- vegetables. Published in association with New Orleans Street Singer (Smithso- cluded. the Society of Botanical Artists. nian Folkways Recordings, 2005, $15). This 1959 acoustic blues album by Snooks Books listed on Pages 14 and 15 can be or- Collins Atlas of the Night Sky, by Eaglin showcases his idiosyncratic and dered through online book vendors. They Storm Dunlop (Collins, 2005, $29.95). A passionate singing and guitar playing. On also can be purchased in many bookstores large-format atlas containing specially CD for the first time, with seven previ- nationwide. commissioned charts of the 88 constella- ously unreleased tracks. tions, maps of the moon and planetary Recordings can be ordered from Smithso- information covering the next five years. Dark Holler: Old Love Songs and nian Folkways Mail Order, Smithsonian Ballads (Smithsonian Folkways Record- Folkways Recordings Dept. 0607, Washing- War in the Air, 1914-1945, by ings, 2005, $15). A remarkable collection ton, D.C. 20073-0607. To order by phone, Williamson Murray (Collins, 2005, $29.95). of traditional North Carolina singing fea- call (800) 410-9815 or (202) 275-1143. This book is an illustrated account of the turing Dillard Chandler and his peers.

14 INSIDE SMITHSONIAN RESEARCH · AUTUMN 2005 off the shelf

Saving Stuff: How to engaging style and is packed with many Williams and Jaggar also walk readers straight-on facts about how to preserve through the critical task of deciding what Care for and Preserve everything from old photographs to foot- to save. “Prioritize what’s worth preserv- ball jerseys and even animal specimens. ing and do it right instead of indiscrimi- Your Collectibles, For example, Williams recommends nately hoarding every memento,” they ad- making copies of your most prized pho- vise. Worksheets are provided to help Heirlooms and Other tographs for hanging on the wall and decide a top-10 list of what to keep, based everyday viewing. Keep originals in a on who owned it, its financial and emo- Prized Possessions cool, dry place where they won’t be ex- tional value, when it was made, where it posed to extremes of light, temperature came from and the action needed to pre- By Don Williams and Louisa Jaggar (Fireside and humidity. serve it. Books, 2005, $16) A cherished high-school football jersey Other chapters serve as a reference for may look more authentic with its sweat all the best practices in saving photos, ostalgia and a desire to document films, books, paper dolls, silverware, N our personal past for posterity bronze, electrical devices, sculptures, wed- makes us hoard boxes of toys in the base- ding dresses and even insect collections. ment, store old uniforms in the closet and In the margins, both writers offer anec- stack photographs, letters and comic dotes, real-world wisdom and time-tested books in plastic bins in the attic. rules for preserving precious personal Yet the extreme environmental condi- goods. Throughout the book, Williams tions often found in these common stor- offers helpful tips by relating fascinating age spaces can warp granddad’s vintage “Smithsonian Stories” of famous Ameri- Johnny Cash vinyl LPs, allow silverfish to can artifacts and gives details of how they feast on Sally’s kindergarten artworks, were professionally preserved. In addi- and cause mold and mildew to attack tion, the authors debunk some old-wives’ mother’s World War II-era wedding dress. tales, such as one that antique furniture But there is good news. needs to be “fed” with special oils and Simple rules anyone can follow to en- other nutrients to keep it in good shape. sure that their treasures stand the test of “Let me break it to you gently in hushed time have been folded into a new book, tones,” Williams writes. “Furniture is Saving Stuff: How to Care for and Preserve and grass stains, but it should be profes- dead. Dead, I tell you. Dead! What furni- Your Collectibles, Heirlooms and Other sionally washed to remove them. Evidence ture does need is to be protected from the Prized Possessions, by Don Williams and of past gridiron battles makes a good din- elements and, to be perfectly frank, you. Louisa Jaggar. ner for all manner of fabric-munching Traditional furniture polish mixtures of As senior conservator in the Smithso- creatures. Once the jersey has been linseed oil, turpentine, beeswax and vine- nian Center for Materials Research and cleaned, give it form by stuffing polyester gar are especially bad, because they Education, Williams has consulted on the or acid-free paper inside. Then mount it darken with age.” preservation of such artifacts as President on a backing board using velcro before The proper care is simple, Williams Franklin Roosevelt’s desk and Archie placing it in on display in a glass-front writes—clean and wax, no matter what Bunker’s chair from the television show shadow box. (Instructions for making a your grandmother said. “All in the Family.” shadow box are outlined in Chapter 5.) Saving Stuff offers rare access and advice Jaggar is a columnist for Washington The opening section of Saving Stuff, from a master Smithsonian conservator. Parent magazine and has contributed ar- titled “The Museum of You,” is essential Just as important, readers learn what not ticles to Diversion and the Family Travel reading. It explains how to minimize the to do from a number of unfortunate, yet Network Web site. harsh effects of extreme light, tempera- entertaining, collectors’ mistakes. Saving Stuff is written in an enjoyable, ture and humidity on collectibles. —Daniel Friend

INSIDE SMITHSONIAN RESEARCH · AUTUMN 2005 15 new to the collections

Stunning collection of ikat textiles donated to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

ith its bold design, dazzling colors and intricate work- “It is mind-boggling in terms of its complexity,” Farhad says. W manship, it must have belonged to someone special. Such “These textiles would be worn for special ceremonial occasions, an exquisite robe would have taken as long as a year to make. such as weddings, or used as wall-hangings.” The garment is a superb example of ikat, a centuries-old tradi- The collection was assembled by Harvard University’s Guido tion that has been virtually abandoned with the advent of ma- Goldman, whose early interest in modern painting and sculpture chine-made cloths and artificial led to his appreciation of the dyes. The robe is among more much older art of ikat. “I saw than 100 ikat textiles from Central them as wonderfully bold, col- Asia that make up one of the orful, individual works of art newest acquisitions of the Smithso- that moved me in the same way nian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. as did paintings by Kandinsky, Mor- “What’s really important about the ris Louis and Helen Frankenthaler,” collection is its quality,” says Mas- Goldman says. sumeh Farhad, chief curator and “Dr. Goldman’s generous curator of Islamic art at the gift of more than 100 ikat Sackler. “It’s really remarkable. textiles will make us one There are no ‘Bs’ in the collec- of the foremost centers for tion. They are all ‘As.’” the study of Central Asian Found around the world, ikat has ikats in the world,” says Julian been compared with tie-dyeing, the Raby, director of the Freer Gallery of method of producing colored patterns in a fabric by Art and the Sackler Gallery. tightly tying many small portions of material with string and The Sackler intends to exhibit pieces from the collection on a then immersing the cloth in dye baths. The word itself is of rotating basis. It also will lend them to U.S. and foreign muse- Malaysian origin and means “to tie.” But ikat involves a process ums for major exhibitions of ikat textiles. far more complicated: Individual threads are tied together and —Donald Smith dipped in dye before being woven into a fabric.

Woman’s Munisak robe, made from silk velvet, circa 1850-1875

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Presorted Standard MRC 033 PO Box 37012 Washington DC 20013-7012 U.S. Postage Paid Official Business Smithsonian Institution Penalty for Private Use $300 G-94

number 10 · autumn 2005