SMITHS ONIAN INSTIT UTION UNI T ED S TAT E S NAT IO NAL MUSEUM R E PORT ON TH E PR OGR E SS AN D CO N DITION O F TH E U . S . NATIONAL MU S EU M FO R TH E YEAR E DI E 0 1 N NG JUN 3 , 909 WA SHINGTON GOVERNM E NT P RINTING O FFIC E 1 909 UN I TE D S TATE S NATI ON AL MU S E U M N DE R I RE CTI ON O F TH E M I T S ON I AN I N S TI TU TI ON U D S H , in Was t n D . to er 20 1 909 . h o . 0 O c b g , , S I R : I have th e h on or t o sub mit he rewith a repo rt upon th e p res ent con dition of th e Unite d S tates Nation al Mu se um and upon th e wo rk accompli she d in its va riou s d epa rtments du ri ng th e fiscal ye ar e n n ne 3 0 1 909 . di g Ju , e es e V ry r p ctfully , I C ARD AT B N R H R H U , Assis tan t S ecre tar in Ch ar e o the Na tion al Museum . y , g f A WAL T Dr. RLE S . CO T C H D , i t S ecretar S mithson ian I n st tu io n . y, ON TE N TS C . I n ception an d histo ry S o me importan t matters Of th e y ear New b uilding fo r th e Natio n al M useum National Gallery O f Art o an co ec io n o f art e i es e tc L ll t t xt l , S ummary Of th e Operation s Of t h e y ear Appro priation s Buil dings Co ll e ctions Departmen t Of An th ro po l o gy Departmen t o f Biol ogy De partm en t Of G eo l ogy Distrib ution and e x c h ange o f specim en s M iscell an eous Visito rs Pub lication s Li rar b y . Ph otograph y Congresses and meetin gs E xpo sition s Organization an d staff Th e Museum staff List O f accessio ns List o f pub lication REPORT ON THE PROGRESS AND CONDITION OF H ATI AL MUS UM FOR THE T E U . S . N ON E A I 3 1 909 Y R D J U 0 . E EN NG NE , C A AT N By RI H RD R HBU , Assis tan re ta r o th e mi th o n i a n ns ti tu ti o n t S ec y f S s I , i h a r th U N ti o n l Mus eum n c g e of e . S . a a . I I I NCEPT ON AND H S TORY. Th e n ess th e n e S es in th e s 1 0 1 846 Co gr of U it d tat , act of Augu t , n n th e S m s n n I ns n e n ze an r n fou di g ith o ia titutio , r cog i d that oppo tu ity w as ff r e in rr n th e r e —m n e es n S m s n a o d d , ca yi g out la g i d d d ig of ith o , t s n n TO s to provide for th e cu stody of h e mu eum of th e atio . thi n ew establi shm en t w as th ere fore in tru ste d th e ca re of th e n ation al m as s e e n s rse e h . coll ctio , a cou that ti fully j u tifi d I n th e begi nn i ng th e cost of main tai n i ng th e mu seum side of th e ’ I nstitution s work w as wholly p a id from th e S mith son ian i n come ; en n m er e s th e ernme n e s e an d n th for a u b of y ar Gov t bor a har , duri g th e pa st th ree d e cad es Congress h as vote d th e enti re fun ds f o r th e e e nses th e se m s er n on e th e r ma me ns xp of Mu u , thu furth i g of p i ry a “ for th e i n crea se an d diffu sion of k n owledge among m en without n en c roa chin g upon th e res ou rces O f th e I stitution . Th e mu seum ide a w as i n here nt in th e establi shmen t O f th e S mith ’ so n ian I n s n in its rn w as se n ten e rs titutio , which tu ba d upo a y a di scu ssion in Congress an d th e advic e of th e most disti ngui she d s en m en e s an d n e e e e s th e n n ci tific , ducator , i t ll ctual l ad r of atio of e n r I t is n eres n n e an d c om S ve ty y ea s ago . i t ti g to ot how broad p reh en sive w ere th e vi ew s which actuated our lawmakers in deter m n n th S e O f th e se m es e em e en i i g e cop Mu u , a fact p cially r arkabl wh it is recall ed that at that dat e n o mu se um Of cons iderabl e si z e e s e th e n e S es an d th e m se ms O f n n xi t d in U it d tat , u u E gla d and of th e con ti nent Of Europe w ere still to a large exten t without a n n m n e e e n n e n s . d v lop d pla , although co tai i g a y rich coll ctio Th e Con gr ess which pa ssed th e act of fou n d ation en umerated as “ within th e scop e Of th e Museum all Obj ects of art an d Of foreign 8 O OF O U S U 1 909 REP RT NATI NAL M E M , . s ese O e s Of n s n s and and curiou r arch and all bj ct atural hi tory , pla t , geological an d mineralogical spe cimens belonging to th e Un ite d ” S es s s am th e se m h e e tat , thu t ping Mu u at t v ry outset as one of th e widest ra nge an d at th e same time as th e Museum of th e Un ited s I w a S tate . t s al so fully appr eciated that addition s would b e n e ess th e e ns en in e s en e s n w as m e c ary to coll ctio th xi t c , and provi io ad e e se th e e n e Of e s e mens n for th ir incr a by xcha g duplicat p ci , by do a s an d e me n s . tion , by oth r a I f th e wi sdom O f Congress in so fully providing for a mu seum in th e S m s n en es en n th e n er e n n ith onia law chall g att tio , i t pr tatio put upo “ thi s law by th e Board of Regen ts within l ess tha n six months from th e ss th e n t mm n I n t pa age of act can o but co a d admiration . h e e S e em e 1 846 th e e en s s e s f ormu arly part of pt b r , , R g t took t p toward n e ns Th e re r Of th e mm e n e lati g a plan of op ratio . po t co itt e appoi t d s se s m e in e em e n n for thi purpo , ub itt d D c b r and Ja uary followi g , show s a thorough con sideration of th e subj ect in both th e spirit an d e e h I s l tt r of t e law . t w ould eem n ot out of pl ac e to cite h ere th e very first pron oun cemen t of th e B oard with referen ce to th e ch aract e r o f th e Museum : l “ I n O e en e th e e emen s O f th e ch arter “ e es b di c to r quir t , which l av littl e di scretion in regard to th e exten t of accommodations to b e pro vided mm ee e mmen e e b e n e in th e , your co itt r co d that th r i clud d build in a m se m Of e s ze e e e e th e e n s des g u u lib ral i , fitt d up to r c iv coll ctio n h I ns n ti e d for t e titutio .